


Ten Days

by Redlightsdistrict



Category: Love Island (Video Game)
Genre: AU, F/M, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-17
Updated: 2021-01-27
Packaged: 2021-03-07 00:47:14
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 14
Words: 36,661
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26488144
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Redlightsdistrict/pseuds/Redlightsdistrict
Summary: "Give me ten days.”“To do what?”“To make you fall in love with me.”
Relationships: Bobby McKenzie/Main Character (Love Island)
Comments: 247
Kudos: 150





	1. We Fell in Love in October.

**Author's Note:**

> At some point, everyone's bound to write a cheesy Bobby fic where he wins MC over by being a Bobby.
> 
> Playlist: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/17yEUs6zZmj6jj1ppC351S?si=Qsah4aKdRMeoEOOM-9XOmA
> 
> 🐚 Find me on:  
> Insta: booksandreveries  
> Reddit: redlightsdistrict  
> Discord: Kat/redlightsdistrict#0642

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A huge thank you to Suchi who was sweet enough to sign up to helping me with this story🌹

“Can’t you just… stay?”

Her voice broke, and she lowered her gaze, avoiding looking into the man’s chocolate-brown eyes. She felt his fingers on her chin, and he made her tilt her head up and look back at him.

“It’s just for ten days,” he said with a note of hidden irritation in his voice. “Be a good girl and write something while I’m gone, deal?”

She nodded weakly, biting on her lip. A soft breeze picked up and threw a curl of her soft, blonde pearl blonde hair over the girl’s face, and tucked it behind her ear. With a sigh, the man leaned into her and pressed a kiss to her lips before grabbing his suitcase decisively.

“I’ll miss you,” she said quietly. “I’ll miss talking to you.”

“Ten days,” he repeated, taking a step back. “I’ll be back in no time.”

The girl nodded again and willed her mouth stretch into a half-smile as she watched him disappear in the airport building unsure what to do with herself now that he was gone. She waited for him to look back, but he never did, so she just stood there, staring at the people passing by until her legs went numb.

She slowly took the phone out of her small straw bag to call a cab and walked towards the car park, barely noticing anything around herself. She felt this sudden emptiness: for the next ten days, it was just her, alone in their empty apartment in Kolonaki. Was it even their apartment if the only thing that changed when she moved in was that now the walk-in closet was separated in two?

“Kalimera,” she greeted the driver, climbing into the backseat of the car and lowered the window, letting the still warm October sun play on her face.

She asked the driver to take her to the Gardens and relaxed against the car seat, letting her eyes fall shut as the cab flowed into the line of cars driving away from the Athens airport. Ten days alone with herself seemed like an eternity that she had no idea what to do with. He wanted her to write? But what about? About a girl who moved countries for her boyfriend who sometimes forgot she wasn’t just this pretty, unfeeling doll? Maybe, about a girl who lost herself in her feelings for someone to the point she couldn’t be found anymore?

She thought of her home back in New York, the small one-bedroom apartment that she had to leave when she moved to Greece and that she sometimes missed to the point she started scrolling through the old pictures. She missed the constant lack of closet space, and the loud neighbors, and the constant wailing of the sirens… But she was 3000 miles away, wandering down cobblestone streets, in a country whose native language wasn’t her own. She was looking for answers for questions she wasn’t even sure how to ask. 

She had to shake her head to snap out of her thoughts. Lucas was right, she should use this time on something productive, not reminiscing on the past. She looked at the phone in her hand. In the past six months, she never made any friends, the only person she spoke to regularly was the man she bought pastries from almost daily… She had no one to call, not even her old friends who promised to stay in touch even when she’s gone.

A small, sad smile appeared on her lips as she thought about her two best friends and she imagined what they might’ve been doing at that exact moment. They were probably just leaving the club, drunk and laughing, and fluffing some random guys off. Probably, Lottie called them an uber and asked Priya to spend the night at her place because she didn’t want to wake up hangover, alone.

The car stopped, and she climbed out, squinting in bright sunlight. A gust of wind picked the hem of her white sundress, and she nearly tripped over her feet trying to pull it down. She glanced at her reflection in the mirrored windows and flipped her long hair over her shoulder.

She loved the National Gardens. She went there almost every day while Lucas was busy at the clinic, losing herself for hours among the palm trees and blooming flowers, reading books, or just people watching. Slowly, she went through the palms’ alley now filled with tourists, and walked across the little bridge to the distant part of the garden that people usually only visited during wisteria blooming season.

Whenever she came here, she felt at peace, as if all her troubles were lifted off her shoulders and she could just breathe freely. A little smile played at the corners of her mouth when the girl turned into one of the furthest alleys and spotted her usual wooden bench hidden in the tree shadows. There was no one around, and she let herself stretch her legs along the bench and rest her face in her hand, just looking into space before her.

The sounds of the city faded away, giving place to birdsongs and the rustle of leaves under the gentle, warm breeze. She sat there for a while, playing lazily with her jingly gold bracelets and listening to the music on her phone, until the sun reached the top of the sky and started going down, coloring the world in all hues of pink, gold, and red.

Sadness was painted all over her face as she realized it was time for her to go back home. As usual, she stopped by one of the vendors to buy herself some pastries and smiled softly when the old man complimented her as he passed her a small open box with pastries.

“Efcharisto,” she thanked him and took a step backwards.

“Oh, shit!” a loud male voice deafened her the moment she stumbled into someone’s taut body.

The girl looked up and met the gaze of two large amber eyes and for a few moments, she almost lost herself in their warm glow. “Erm, syngnomi?” the young man kept staring at her snapping her out of her trance

“It’s okay,” she answered with a smile, looking down at the slightly crumbled pastries. “No worries.”

She turned round to walk away, but the guy caught her by the arm.

“Wait,” he breathed out. “Dae ye live ‘ere? Ah think a’m lost, and none of the locals speak English.”

She looked at him with a cheeky glimmer in her eyes. “Are _you_?” the girl wondered, and the stranger laughed.

“Funny lassie,” he smirked. “A’m from Scotland, and ye’r American, aye?”

“Guilty,” she smiled back. “So, you're lost?”

“A’m tryin’ to find mah hotel but these streets…”

“You remember the name of your hotel, or we’ll just keep walking until you recognize the door?”

He gave her a long studying look, and his eyes sparkled mischievously before he showed her his phone with a reservation email.

“It’s not too far from here,” the blonde waved her hand towards Plaka, one of her favorite parts of Athens. “I’ll walk you there, so you don’t think all people here are only good to yell at you to come to eat at their restaurant.”

The guy chuckled and bowed theatrically. “Ta, m’lady.”

They made their way out of the garden and started walking slowly down the crowded street. She took a deep breath, filling her lungs with the air of evening Athens. She never regretted moving there, her love for this old, hasty city was endless. She loved all those little colorful houses covered with wildflowers, all those little taverns next to modern coffee shops, loved the smell of spices mixed with expensive perfume and burnt coffee.

She loved these loud, emotional people who could love you one moment and hate the next, loved that sirtaki music, loved the sun-kissed skin of the girls who danced to it in the evenings… Even though she wasn’t a part of that life, she loved it with her whole heart.

“So, whit urr ye daein' 'ere?” her companion asked after a short pause.

“Just living,” the girl answered simply. “My boyfriend got an offer to head a private clinic here, and we moved here from New York about a year ago.”

“Ye moved countries fur yer boyfriend?”

She just shrugged. “Wouldn’t you do the same for the girl you loved?”He went silent for a few long minutes, and she just walked next to the Scot, thinking about her confession. She just met him and was willing to talk about her life, and it wasn’t like her at all.“Hey,” she nudged him on a shoulder. “Want one?”

She extended her arm and he hesitantly reached for the pastry.

“Whit ur thae even ur?”

“They’re called melomakarona,” the girl fished one small ball out of the box and put the pastry in her mouth. “It’s a traditional Christmas dessert but I eat them all year long.”

“A rule-breaker, eh?”

The girl laughed. “Yeah, that’s me,” she licked the sticky syrup off her fingers and continued. “It’s dipped in spiced honey, hence the first part of the name, ‘meli’.”

“And the second part?”

“It means ‘blessed’.”

It was strangely comfortable, talking to this stranger, as if she knew him for years, even though she didn’t even know his name… She thought of that email he showed her: Robert. His name was Robert. The girl shook her head trying to get rid of her thoughts when he suddenly caught her hand.

“Hey,” the guy pointed towards the two-story-high building painted pastel pink and yellow. “Thay offer this Greek dance classes, a’ve been wanting to dae it… but ah can’t do it alone, it’d be too sad,” his eyes shimmered. “Would ye keep me company?”

The girl stared at him in disbelief: “You’re kidding?”

“Na, ah want you to show me Greek hospitality and keep a lonely tourist company… unless yer boyfriend forbids ye from dancing with strangers?”

“He went to London for ten days,” she didn’t manage to stop herself before those words escaped her mouth. “But it doesn’t mean I’m just…”

He just grabbed her hand cutting off any abjections and looked into the girl's silvery-blue eyes.

“Just a dance lesson.”

She was probably going insane, there was no other explanation as to why she just followed a stranger inside the dance studio and let him pay for the class and take her to the second floor. After a moment of hesitation, she kicked off her strappy sandals, and her new dance partner smirked.

The girl rolled her eyes: “What? I’m not ruining my feet just because some weird guy I just met decided he wanted to learn a new dance to impress the girls back home.”

“Bobby,” he said suddenly.

“What?”

“Mah name’s Bobby,” he repeated extending his hand. “In case ye wondered.”

She chuckled and took his hand, and he suddenly pulled her in and pressed two kisses to her cheeks – not the air kisses she got used to living here, his lips grazed her skin making it tingle, and his eyes sparkled when he pulled slightly away, his fingers still holding her palm.

“One of mah favorite local traditions,” he said with a grin.

“You’ll love another local tradition then,” she said in an annoyed voice, but her eyes were laughing. “If someone’s willing to drink from the same glass as you, it might be an invitation to spend a night.”

Before Bobby could’ve said anything, the girl tugged at his hand.

“I think the class is about to start.”

They took their places among the other people, and Bobby threw a glance at the girl next to him. He saw her from across the garden when she walked down the alley, too deep in her thoughts to notice anyone or anything around. Her long blonde curls bounced as she moved, cascading down her shoulders and back, almost creating a barrier between her and the world.

He couldn’t stop staring at her, taken aback by this vision of perfection, and the only thing he knew at that moment was that he needed her in his life. Just like that, he didn’t know her name, didn’t know anything about her – but he tripped and fell for her, the same moment he saw her.

He’d never believed in love at first sight that they can just give their hearts away to somebody after one single glance. But he did believe the second he saw her eyes and her half-smile meant for no one in particular. He heard her soft, melodic laugh when she turned away from the old pastry maker, and he fell in love right that second. It took one glance to believe that he belonged to her completely. It took just one glance at this girl for him to know what love was.

Greece was the last stop on his almost five months long travel across Europe, that he decided to take after Uni with his best friend. Rocco wanted to visit his extended family in Paros, and Bobby stayed with them for two days before fleeing, saving himself from all the drama.

This was supposed to be his next to last day here, tomorrow evening was their flight back to Edinburgh… But how could he leave now when he just met her?

He almost missed the moment everyone started moving, and repeated the dance move hastily, almost knocking the guy on his left off his feet.

“Sorry,” he blurted out to the accompaniment of his companion’s barely masked laughter. “Oi,” he entwined his arm with her. “We’ll see if ye’r any better.”

He couldn’t care less about the dance but he couldn’t let her just walk him to the hotel and disappear – and if this class was the only way to spend more time with her, he was willing to embarrass himself as much as needed.

“You’re not too bad,” the girl noted, panting slightly.

“Lassie, this is dead easy after the highland dancing,” Bobby grinned.

“Oh, right, you’re Sottish…” her fingers dug deeper into his shoulder as the music became faster. “So, you wear a skirt and everything?”

“Aye,” he sent her a wink, suddenly breaking off from the line and wrapping one arm around the girl’s waist and twirling her around.

“Bobby!” her laughter filled the room as he lowered her backwards, pressing his hand to the small of her back firmly.

He didn’t care he stopped the lesson, didn’t care that an old Greek woman was yelling at him in horrible English, and surely didn’t care that they got kicked out and told to never come back – he only cared about the smile on the girl’s face when they got outside.

“God, they got so mad,” she laughed, pressing her forehead to his chest for a moment, and his heart went pitter-patter. He wanted to make her smile for the rest of their lives. He would've done anything if it meant it kept her smiling. He wanted to keep hearing her laugh as it was music to his ears, the best music he’d ever heard.

The girl looked up at him and a gust of wind threw a strand of her hair over the girl’s face. With the gentlest touch, he tucked it behind her ear, and she froze under his hand. He imagined what it would be like to kiss her and make her heart beat faster.

“I-I should go,” she said quietly taking a step back. “Your hotel is just down the street, you won’t miss it.”

“No,” Bobby grabbed her hand hastily. “Please, stay with me.”

She stared back at him, and he could see all her thoughts written on her face. He ran his thumb over the alabaster skin of her cheek, mesmerized with her heavenly beauty. When he saw her in the garden, she looked like some kind of angel, in her white flowing dress, she seemed like a whimsical creature that did not belong to Earth – and now, this feeling returned, the feeling that she’s been sent from above… for him. She was meant for him, and he didn’t care if that was stupid, naïve, childish – he just knew, he needed her in his life.

“I have a boyfriend,” she reminded him.

“He’s in London.”

“But it doesn’t change anything. I love him.”

“But what if ye’ll love me more?” he asked softly, interwinding their fingers. “Wouldn’t ye regret not using this chance? Ah know, ye feel something, too. Ye feel this.”

He moved her hand to rest against his chest, just over his heart, letting the girl feel his fastened heartbeat. Her breath hitched, and she almost staggered back, but Bobby’s free arm snaked around her waist keeping her in place.

The street around them lit up with thousands of lights, but she barely noticed, too consumed by her feelings. She loved Lucas, she really did, he was the man she thought she’d marry one day, they’ve been together for almost three years, she couldn’t even remember her life without him. She wasn’t even sure there was a life for her without him… but.

Bobby’s amber eyes were studying her intently, piercing through her skin and looking deeply underneath, into the parts of her she never knew were there.

“Ye said he’s outta town fur ten days?” Bobby asked quietly, and the girl nodded. “Well, then give me ten days.”

“To do what?”

“To make ye fall in love with me,” he said simply. “If ye don’t, ah will leave ye alone. But if ye do… ye’re mine. Deal?”

He let go of her and extended his hand. Unable to control her body, she accepted the handshake, feeling her heart thumping out of her chest. She has surely lost her mind accepting this deal but with that, she found something else, something she couldn’t find a definition for. Something worth taking a risk.

“Good,” Bobby grinned, squeezing her hand firmly. “Ah guess now’s the time ye tell me yer name, beautiful stranger.”

Her cheeks blushed, and she hurried to grimace to hide her embarrassment.

“Belle.”

“Belle and Bobby,” the Scotsman drawled. “I like it.”

“Bobby and Belle,” she repeated, freeing her hand from his grip. “Ten days.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you like this story, leave kudos and comments, it means the world ♥️
> 
> Playlist: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/17yEUs6zZmj6jj1ppC351S?si=pCHbU8WsSReZCqtowGCURQ


	2. Give Us a Little Love.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Belle and Bobby dance: Bailando by Gente De Zona

Belle kept looking at Bobby until her eyes started welling up as a million thoughts and emotions were running through her mind, making her heart flutter and her knees go weak.

“So,” she said quietly. “What happens now?”

They were still standing in the middle of the street, and as the groups of tourists and locals were passing them by, some smiled knowingly, some cursed at them in foreign languages. But they just couldn’t seem to move, unsure of where to go from there but not ready to part ways from each other just yet.

Bobby’s hand moved slowly up, and he stroked a strand of hair out of the girl’s face losing himself in her piercing blue eyes for a moment.

“Ah’m gonna take ye on the date of yer life.”

She laughed softly. “That’s a very audacious statement.”

He looked at her with a mischievous spark in his amber eyes, and she lost herself for a moment in their warm glow. She must’ve gone crazy, that was the only likely explanation as to why she was still there. She was never an adventurous one. Some of her friends said it was reckless and brave to move across the ocean from home, but it wasn’t. She was just following her heart, and her heart belonged to Lucas… So, what was she doing there, in the middle of a crowded street in the heart of Plaka feeling her heart do little flips over a stranger she’d just met? 

“C’mon,” Bobby tugged at her hand. “Show me yer favorite place in toon.”

“You don’t mess about, do you?” she shook her head slightly, a faint smile touching her lips.

“Ye can tall a lot aboot someone when ye know some of their favorite things,” Bobby’s arm casually wrapped around her shoulders making Belle freeze for a moment. “And ah wanna know everything aboot ye.”

“Everything?”

She walked him slowly back towards the Gardens, maneuvering through the loud crowd of a small flea market that took one of the streets. The smell of tirapita and honeyed baklava, the sounds of music coming from the open terraces, the heat of dozens of bodies – everything twirled around them, turning early evening into a kaleidoscope of scents and feelings.

Bobby’s arm around her shoulders, his firm side pressed into her, his soft breath on the side of his head, it felt so strangely normal, almost familiar, if she knew him for years... as if she knew him before they ever met.

“Aye,” the Scot suddenly grabbed her by the hand, and Belle almost lost her balance.

He caught her in his arms and spun around to the sound of a song blasting from the radio sitting in the window of someone’s house.

“Dance with me,” he smiled before bringing her back in, and his eyes shimmered in the light of a hundred fairy lights sprinkled all over the street.

His strong hand took a grip of her waist while his hips moved into hers, making her catch his rhythm and follow it, no hesitation, no thoughts of how they must’ve looked to the people staring at them, dancing in the middle of the street. Bobby’s free hand snaked behind her neck and tangled in her curls bringing her face closer to his as he stared into her shining blue eyes.

He tipped her backwards, and her leg wrapped around his almost instinctively as he lowered her even further, holding her weight with the hand pressed to her back.

“Ye look so beautiful when ye dance,” Bobby whispered, mesmerized with the way her blonde locks of curls blew across her face each time they spun, and the way the skirt of her dress did a little swish with every move.“Ah could watch ye for hours.”

He never felt anything like this before, not in all of the twenty-four years of his life he wanted to be this close to someone, never felt his heart fluttering inside the ribcage the way it did now when she smiled at him and slid her hand up his arm, holding onto him trustfully. She looked at him, and in her eyes, he saw his future, all the years ahead of him, with this girl who smelled of sweet flowers and Greek pastries.

He brought her back up and spun outwards, and her hair flew up creating a halo around her glowing face. Her cheeks were blushing gently when she freed her hand from his and picked up the skirt of her dress, playing with it as her hips moved to the beat of the old Spanish song.

She once took Lucas to flamenco night back in the city, and she still remembered how happy she got when he danced with her, and how they decided on doing it again the next weekend, and how it never happened… She shook it off and coiled her arms around Bobby’s neck, bringing their bodies closer, until she was just an inch away from him.

The heat emanating from his body enveloped her into a soft embrace, washing away any worries, any memories of the past. Right now, existed only that moment, only his hands holding her waist gently and his fastened heart pulsing in a small vein on his neck.

He looked into her eyes, barely noticing that they weren’t dancing anymore, just standing there, holding each other.

“Ye’r so beautiful,” Bobby whispered quietly. “Just like an angel.”

She laughed softly before bringing her forefingers to her head mimicking horns. “Even now?”

He couldn’t contain a laugh when she rolled her eyes and let her tongue hang out of her mouth. She was so gorgeous and ethereal and somehow, it mixed with goofiness and passion and adventurous. She was beautiful without trying, without worrying she might look ridiculous, and it made her even more perfect.

“Even more so now,” he said adoringly, making her cheeks blush again.

“You’ve got some weird tastes,” she pulled back, too confused by her feelings. “Let’s go already, you disco dancer.”

He laughed, entwining their fingers as they walked further down the narrow streets full of color and life, stopping here and there to grab a drink or food.

“How did ye learn Greek?” Bobby asked after watching her order food from one of the trucks.

“That’s what you do when you’ve got no other choice,” the girl passed him his portion of Greek pasta with nutmeg and peas. “Many of the locals actually can speak English, they just don’t want to, they consider it a matter of respect, that you speak to them in their native language when in their country.”

He listened to her and couldn’t believe this was happening to him, that this wasn’t some kind of a dream. How come someone so perfect, so beautiful, so celestial could’ve been sent to him? Whenever Rocco went on about spirits and soulmates and karma, Bobby would just tune out – he never believed any of that supernatural gibberish, until he saw her. In her sundress and dainty bracelets and strappy shoes, she walked as if dancing, and at that moment, he believed all the stories and myths. He believed everything because there she was, standing before him, a prove that all the planets aligned to bring him there, in that exact moment.

“Mah best mate’s extended family lives in Paros,” Bobby explained when she asked. “His uncle merrit this Greek chick, 'n' noo thay hae three teenage daughters that drove me mad in they twa days a’ve spent wi' them.”

Belle laughed softly, flipping her hair over her shoulder, and patted his forearm knowingly.

“Local women are fierce.”

“If by fierce ye mean dramatic, then ah agree.”

They kept walking, talking about everything. He wanted to know every little detail about her: what was her favorite breakfast food (coffee and bagel), who she went to prom with (triathlon captain with giant teeth), where she’d go if she could teleport anywhere right now (not right now but London).

He listened to her voice and wished he could do so forever. He almost forgot they just met, it seemed like he’d known her forever, it was so easy talking to her. She caught his stare when she bent over to pet one of the cats and couldn’t help a little grin when his cheeks went bright pink as he realized she noticed.

There was no discomfort that she usually felt around strangers, no awkward pauses, no anxiety if she was being too loud or too shy, it was just perfect. With this Scot, she was perfect, just the way she was, and she felt it. She could almost touch the tenderness and adoration in his gaze, and it made her skin flush, and her heart flutter in her chest.

Finally, they reached the parking before the funicular to the top of the Lycabettus Hill, and Belle bought them ice-cream to take up there.

“It’s not too high,” she noted towards the hill that could be seen from most parts of the city. “But it’s already dark, and you don’t look like someone who enjoys hiking.”

Bobby laughed, following the girl through the glass doors. He paid for the ride and they stepped into the cable car that was already waiting to take the passengers.

“Ye’d be surprised,” Bobby flopped on the seat and patted the space next to him. “Ah’ve got stamina.”

Belle laughed softly and passed him the ice-cream. “Eat before it melted, gladiator.”

He weaved his arm around the girl’s shoulders, holding the box in another hand, and scooped some ice-cream with a plastic spoon, holding it out for her. She must have gone insane, how else she could explain sitting next to the guy she just met, sharing one portion of kaimaki ice-cream while his hot side was pressing into her? And how else to explain the way she didn’t want this to stop?

The car came into action finally, and Bobby leaned closer to the window trying to peek outside.

“Oh, it’s a tunnel,” he sighed, disappointed, and turned back to the girl. “Hold on, ye’v got something…”

His thumb brushed gently over her upper lip, and her breath hitched under the intense stare of his big amber eyes. He didn’t need to look outside the window, he had the best view right in front of him. Her eyes widened as he moved his hand to cup her face gently, and the tip of his thumb started caressing her cheekbone softly.

“Ah look at ye and can’t believe ye’r real.”

If anyone else she knew ever told her that, she’d be already cringing and looking for a way out. But from his lips, it sounded like a matter of fact, not a try-hard compliment, not a line, and it made her stomach fill with dozens of butterflies.

He had to fight back an urge to kiss the girl, grateful that the ride was over as he couldn’t even look at Belle without wanting to kiss her.

“You’re lucky, in late October, there aren’t that many tourists around here.”

She took his hand, walking the man down the dark path, and he let her lead, feeling the soft tingling at the tips of his fingers as her warm palm met his. The air at the top of the hill seemed cooler than in the city, and he took a deep breath, filling his lungs with the scents of wildflowers and trees.

“Ye like being in nature,” Bobby noticed as they moved further up.

“Not really,” the girl smiled at her thoughts. “I like the kind of nature you can find in the city but take me to a forest, and I’ll never stop complaining.”

Finally, they reached their destination: a tiny space of land at the edge of the hill, with a single wooden bench half-hidden in the blossoming bushes. Belle slowly walked Bobby closer to the edge, and for a second, he froze, looking down at the thousands lights lying below them.

“Whenever I can, I come here,” she said quietly, standing beside him. “In the daylight, you can see my house from where you stand. Whenever I’m inside, it seems so big – but from here, it’s barely visible, so small and insignificant…”

He turned to the girl, noticing a small shiver running through her body, and stepped behind her, wrapping his arms around her to share his warmth with her. The light below them colored her hair a soft shade of pink and the stars above them made her skin glow, almost sparkling in the moonlight.

For a second, her body tensed, and he almost let go of her, but just a moment later her shoulders relaxed, and she rested her head on his shoulder, looking down at the city that was glowing with millions of lights. Neither of them wanted to break the quiet, and the silence between them was light and comfortable, and Bobby let his mind drift away as he stood there, holding his love in his arms.

She could feel his steady heartbeat against her back, and it mixed with the beat of her heart, carrying her away slowly. She could smell his cologne mixed with the scent of his skin, could hear his breath next to her ear as he rested his chin in the crook of her neck.

Her hand reached into her small straw crossbody bag to find a pair of earphones, and she reached to put one into his ear before turning the music on. She wanted to remember this day, this moment, to look back at it in thirty, fifty years, and think of this stranger she met on a sunny afternoon.

It didn’t matter how fast he made her heart beat, or how peaceful she felt wrapped into his embrace – she had a real life, and in real life, people don’t fall in love with someone in ten days. She already had someone she loved and who loved her, and this… This was just a moment. Tomorrow, she will wake up in her and Lucas’ bed, and this moment will be gone, and become a beautiful memory that she will sometimes come back to in her mind and smile.

“Whit urr ye thinking aboot?” Bobby’s soft voice snapped the girl out of her thoughts, and she tilted her head to the side to look up at him.

“This,” she said simply. “I’m thinking about this moment.”

“How’s that?”

She shrugged slightly and turned in his arms to stand face to face with the young man, whose hands were still holding her waist securely.

“In a few years, this moment will become a distant memory, even though now it’s our life.”

He stared back at her, a small furrow in his brow. For him, this wasn’t just a moment that he’ll forget about in a few days. For him, this was everything he ever needed, and he wasn’t letting her think for even a second that he’s be willing to let go of her without a fight. Because from the moment he saw her, he knew she was made for him. There were no reservations, no doubts, nothing. He saw her and knew in an instant that his soul had known her lifetimes ago, that meeting her this evening wasn’t just an accident – this was meant to be.

“Listen to me, lassie,” he said firmly, taking a hold of her chin with his fingers. “We made a deal. A’m not letting ye off easily, ye hear me?”

His eyes sparkled in the light of thousands city lights, and she saw something in them that made her pulse start racing. He lowered his face to her without breaking eye contact and pressed his forehead against her, ghosting his warm breath on her skin.

A part of her wished for him to close the space between them and kiss her, but she shut it down the same moment: she’d never do that to Lucas. It wasn’t her, never been and never will be… But for a short moment, her imagination drew a picture of Bobby’s soft lips pressed gently to hers and her hands tangled in his dreads.

His heart swell in his chest when her hands wrapped timidly around his waist, and he let out a quiet sigh, bringing her body closer.

This was pure love, what he felt. Something that just was meant to be, something he was willing to wait for forever. He looked up to the sky, a content smile on his lips, and the moon smiled back at him, hanging just above them.

They stood there until the air got too cold, and Bobby pulled back just a little to look into Belle’s eyes. “Ah should walk ye home.”

He didn’t want to part for even a few seconds, but it was getting too late, and he wanted to give her a chance to process everything that happened today.

“Is that you being a gentleman or a stalker?” she smirked, and Bobby rolled his eyes.

“Har har, funny lassie.”

They walked back to the funicular stop and took their place in a small line that already gathered there. They took the car, both too deep in their thoughts and feelings to dare break the silence between them.

Bobby helped the girl climb into the cab, and she asked the driver to drop her off before driving him back to his hotel. The car moved slowly through the now almost empty streets, and Bobby turned to the girl, grazing his lip between his teeth.

“What?” she asked finally since he seemed to struggle to get the words out.

“Urr ye gonnae gimme yer number - or should ah actually stalk ye?”

She pulled on a serious face as if thinking about her options. “I guess, I’ll spare you some legwork,” she said finally with a mischievous glimmer in her eyes handing him her phone.

“One gif and you’ll get blocked forever,” she leaned closer to watch him typing a text and sending it to his phone.

“Ye can’t be serious,” he grabbed at his chest dramatically. “Everyone likes gifs!”

The car stopped before the three-story building wrapped into wisteria leaves, and Bobby helped Belle climb out of it. They stood there for a second, unsure of what to say.

“Good night, Bobby,” she said finally.

“Ah will see ye th'morra,” he responded, brushing her cheek with the tips of his fingers. “Ah know where to find ye,” he smiled, and she rolled her eyes.

“So, stalker it is.”

He chuckled softly, watching the girl as she walked down the driveway and up the stairs and reached into her purse for the keys. She flipped her hair over her shoulder irritably, and he suddenly just couldn’t let her go like that.

“Belle!” his call caught her when she just put the key into the lock, and Belle turned around abruptly.

Her body seemed to have a mind of its own when she flew down the stairs, meeting him halfway between the car and the house, and flung herself into his arms, clasping her hands on his back. They stood there, clinging on each other, until the cab driver honked, making them pull apart.

“Ah will text ye when a’m back at the hotel,” Bobby whispered before letting go of her waist.

Untrusting her voice, she just nodded and hurried inside before she did something she shouldn’t.

Bobby just stood there ignoring the cabby who kept honking and cursing in Greek, watching Belle as she walked away, her curls bouncing with every move, and the only thing he could think of was how he couldn’t wait to see her again. How he wished to hold her hand in his, be close to her, prove her this accidental meeting wasn’t accidental, that it was meant to be. That _they_ were meant to be…

Belle ran up two flights of stairs and got to her apartment, panting heavily, and slammed the front door as she entered. She flicked the lights on and stared into the mirror just above the entryway table.

“What the hell are you doing?” she asked her reflection and threw her phone onto the table, only now noticing a missed call from Lucas.

She reached for the phone again, ready to press ‘call’, when a message popped on the screen.

 _Bobby:_ There’s a cute café across the street from my hotel. See you there at ten.

 _Belle:_ I almost expected you to text with accent, too.

 _Bobby:_ Don’t make me send you a gif.

 _Belle:_ Send one and you’ll be blocked so fast.

 _Bobby:_ What if the “g” in gif is actually silent? Ever thought about that? 

_Belle:_ Shut up Bobby.

 _Bobby_ : What gif I don’t want to? 

_Belle_ : (sends rolling eyes gif)

 _Bobby_ : (sends winking eyes/blowing kiss gif)

 _Belle:_ Are you trying to get blocked?

 _Bobby:_ You sent one first!

 _Belle:_ Yeah, well I’m a hypocrite 😉

 _Bobby_ : That you are. Fine, let’s call a truce? 

_Belle:_ 🤔

 _Bobby:_ … 🥺

 _Belle:_ Oh fine, truce!

She climbed into her bed, barely taking her eyes off the phone, and the late-night cool breeze brushed her face gently. She could hear the sounds of the sleepy city and see the full moon in the space between half-closed voile curtains, and her body relaxed slowly against the pillows as she typed her messages until her eyes were too heavy to keep them open.

It was almost four in the morning when they finally said goodnight, and she put her phone down next to the pillow, feeling lightweight and almost sad she couldn’t just not have any seep at all. It was too late to return Lucas’s phone call and a pang of guilt ran through her stomach as she let her eyes fall close.

What was she doing?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you like this story, leave kudos and comments, it means the world ♥️
> 
> Playlist: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/17yEUs6zZmj6jj1ppC351S?si=pCHbU8WsSReZCqtowGCURQ


	3. In the Name of Love.

“Mate,” Rocco flopped on the bed, watching Bobby as the Scot was hastily buttoning his linen shirt. “I just cannot believe what I’m seeing.”

Rocco ran his fingers through his shoulder-length hair and grinned widely as his friend stumbled into the bed, ripping the shirt off in frustration. He found Bobby running around his hotel room, panic in his eyes, just about half an hour ago when he finally found this tiny, drowning in wildflowers and vines hotel in Plaka.

“I take it, you’re not going back home with me?” the dark-haired man stated, bending over to unzip his suitcase and fish one of his t-shirts and something wrapped into the brown paper. “Try this.”

Bobby hysterically grabbed the flowing white t-shirt and looked at his mate as if he saw him for the first time.

“She’ll see mah tats.”

“And so?” Rocco stared back at him. “It’s not 2007, people won’t think you’ve been to prison just coz you’ve got a shoulder piece.”

The other man contemplated for a moment but pulled the t-shirt on and rushed to the bathroom to look at himself in a small, slightly dusty mirror. It was just five minutes before ten, and he needed to leave to be at the café across the street just a few minutes before Belle shows up. It’d only been a few hours since he’d last seen her and yet his whole body was shaking with excitement and nerves at the thought of seeing the blonde-haired beauty that’s taken over his entire mind and thoughts. 

Rocco jumped to his feet, stretched with his whole body, and followed his mate.

“Can I at least meet the girl that stole my best friend’s heart?” he leaned against the doorframe, watching Bobby as he hastily sprayed himself with cologne and started brushing his teeth for the third time that morning. 

This was different. He’d never seen his mate get this riled up over a girl before. When Bobby called him around five in the morning, Rocco was just getting ready to catch a ferry from the island and ended up trapped on a small ferry for three and a half hours with Bobby’s voice in his phone, going on about the way her hair bounced as she walked, and how her eyes were brighter than the summer sky... Rocco couldn’t help but wonder if his best friend accidentally went hiking and got stuck in the devil’s snare and was just high. 

“She’ll see ye and forget aboot me,” Bobby spat the toothpaste out and rinsed his mouth. “Lik’ everyone else.”

“That’s nonsense,” Rocco waved his hand dismissively. “Just because of one girl…”

“Five,” Bobby pushed past him to grab his phone and wallet. “Six, if we count Gary’s cousin.”

The other guy chuckled softly and flew his hands up reconcilably. “Alright- alright, I admit, I’m a ladies magnet. But I promise not to turn my charms on with this one. Since I’m flying home solo, you owe me this. I wanna know who you’ve traded me for.”

Bobby rolled his eyes and sighed, defeated. “Fine, ye kin have breakfast wi' us. Bit sin ye'v invited yersel', it's yer treat.”

Rocco laughed heartily and threw his arm around Bobby’s shoulders, pushing him out of the hotel room. They went one flight down the stairs and left the hotel, taking in the morning scenery. Most of the shops and little restaurants just started opening, as people were starting their day slowly. Bobby pointed across the road: “That table?”

Rocco nodded, and they walked across the empty, cobbled street. It was just two minutes short from ten, and Bobby could barely contain his excitement mixed with anxiety that she’d changed her mind overnight.

They said goodnight around four in the morning, and it seemed that both of them would gladly not sleep at all… But he just couldn’t help this little painful thorn of fear prickling at his heart. What if she spoke to her boyfriend and felt guilty for spending time with him, Bobby? What if she decided he didn’t worth the risk? What if he wasn’t meant for her the way she was destined to be his?

He and Rocco took the table next to the flower decorated fence, and Bobby let his mate order three briki-made coffees, too consumed in his thoughts to care what briki was.

“Bobby, relax, mate,” Rocco bent over the table and patted the other man’s shoulder.

“Whit if she just doesn’t shaw up?” he felt his cheeks flush with embarrassment at how childish his words sounded.

“Then you’ll stalk her, Joe Goldberg style,” Rocco barked with laughter, and his friend couldn’t help but smile, too.

The tight knot in his stomach loosened just a little, and he glanced at his phone: two minutes past ten. _She will come_ , he kept telling himself as his eyes wandered up the street, catching the sight of passersby and rare cars, moving slowly as if they had nowhere to rush to. He watched them and couldn’t believe they were able to stay calm, while the excitement and nerves were pulsing through his entire body, rushing through his veins with adrenaline. 

He spent a restless night, thinking about the blue-eyed girl even after she wished him goodnight. Through the open curtains, he could see the moon sitting low in the sky, almost touchable, and the thought of her seeing the same moon in just a five-minute drive from him was strangely comforting. As if her proximity made everything somehow better, as if when she was around the air seemed clear, and the sounds were more melodic, and the colors turned more vibrant… As if she just made the world brighter, made his world brighter.

These thoughts made him cringe at himself. He was never one of those romantic souls, the ones for big words, and big gestures. He was never like Rocco, so obviously, girls preferred his best friend to him, and Bobby couldn’t blame them.

With his grass-green eyes, a million travel stories, and adventurous nature, his mate was an obvious choice. And Bobby never minded it because he never felt… this. He never felt this completeness, this clarity that he gained the moment he saw Belle…

“It’s her,” his voice dropped to whisper when he saw the girl walking down the street.

Her long, dark peach layered dress trembled and fluttered under the soft breeze, flowing down her body, and her long soft curls bounced with her every step, and the sunlight created a little halo around her, making her entire body glow. Unconsciously, Bobby rose to his feet, unable to take his eyes of the girl who he called an angel once and who looked like one at that moment, moving as dancing, her footsteps so light as if she was floating above the ground.

Rocco studied his friend’s starstruck face for a moment before turning around to look at whoever had such an effect on Bobby.

He expected a bombshell, with thick dark hair and breasts defying gravity – or one of those girls with pink and blue hair that usually came to the bar where he and Bobby sometimes played to get some extra cash. But he didn’t expect to see this sweet blonde, who was undoubtedly beautiful but so far from Bobby’s usual choice.

He watched her as she watched Bobby, her forget-me-not eyes glued to his friend as if he was the only thing she could see. If Rocco had any doubts about this girl, they were all gone the moment he saw the way those two looked at one another. This wasn’t just different for Bobby, it was for her, too, even if she didn’t know it herself yet.

She finally approached the table, catching her suddenly hitched breath, and stopped across the fence from the table.

“Hey,” she smiled softly at Bobby as he found her hand and brought it to his face to kiss her knuckles gently, hypnotized with the way her eyes sparkled when their gazes met.

“Hey,” he whispered through the lump in his throat. “Um… this is mah best mate, Rocco. Rocco, this is Belle.”

“Charmed,” Rocco smiled at the girl and squeezed her hand carefully. “I hope you don’t mind, I’ve persuaded this one to let me have breakfast with you guys since I’m going back home alone tonight.”

Belle walked around the fence and finally reached the table, and Bobby pushed the chair out for her. The waiter put three cups of coffee before them and froze next to the table, waiting for their order.

“A’ve literally no idea,” Bobby stared at the menu blankly. “Ah trust ye,” he turned to the girl, and she smiled mischievously.

“Very, very headlong of you,” she sent Rocco a conspicuous glance. “You’ve known me for all of five minutes, I might be a sadist who takes pleasure in ordering horrible food for poor, trusting Scots.”

They all laughed, and Bobby glanced at the girl adoringly, trying not to stare at the dainty coin necklace lying in layers around her neck and running down the soft skin of her chest.

“Bobby told me about you,” she turned to the dark-haired man. “You have family in Paros, right?”

“That’s right,” Rocco grinned. “I blame my family being scattered all around the world for my constant urge to travel.”

Bobby rolled his eyes: “’ere we go.”

Rocco only chuckled and flew his hands up.

“Alright, alright, no travel stories, promise,” he smirked. “Bobby said you’re from New York. Does your family live there, too?”

“Yeah,” Belle nodded. “My grandparents moved Upstate some time ago but it’s just an hour drive from the city, so it doesn’t really count.”

Just twenty-four hours ago, she couldn’t imagine she’d be sitting at the table with two strangers, talking about everything: her family, her life back home, painting classes she started taking after moving to Athens… she just couldn’t imagine being so comfortable around someone that she’d want to talk about herself.

A sudden breeze picked up and ripped one of the flowers off the fence throwing it on the table next to Bobby’s plate. He reached for it and took it carefully with the tips of his fingers. It was a simple white clematis, delicate and sweet, just like the girl next to him.

He turned to Belle and softly stroked her hair, tangling the flower in her curls. She looked back at him, her eyes shining, and he lost himself in her, unable to even move. His hand was still touching her hair, his amber eyes locked with her bright blue, and his heart was ready to jump out of his chest and dance across the street.

Neither of them knew how much time passed before Rocco finally cleared his throat snapping them back into reality.

“Alright, lovebirds, time for me to get going. I need to drop by a couple of places before my flight,” he put away his napkin and slowly got to his feet. “Take care of him.”

He smiled at Belle and hugged Bobby tightly. “You two are destined to be, Bob, don’t ever doubt it.”

When he left, Bobby turned to the girl and caught her smile.

“Whit?”

“I like your tattoos,” she noted, running her finger over the drawing on his arm. “Roses, thorns, chains… as if you’re a rockstar or something.”

Bobby chuckled and caught her hand. “Or something.”

“Did you bring your guitar with you?” her eyes widened with excitement when the Scot nodded. “Will you play for me?”

“Ah will dae anythin' fur ye.”

His free hand snaked around her waist pulling the girl closer, and her pulse went paces. Just two hours ago she wasn’t sure she was ever going to see this man again – and now, she was in his arms, sharing air with him, breathing his scent deeply, trying to fill her lungs with him.

"Would you, Bobby?"

The way she called his name sent warmth over his body, and he lost his voice, he could only look into her blue eyes, and his name was written there, only his... 

It took all of his self-control not to kiss her, and he had to look away and clear his throat just to do something, to shake off this daydream of her lips on his.

“C’mon,” Bobby helped Belle to her feet. “We got an itinerary to follow.”

“We do?”

He nodded, walking her towards the small car park down the street. Belle’s phone beeped in a small flower embroidered clutch in her hand, and Bobby couldn’t help but study her reaction. Her beautiful blue eyes widened slightly, and a tiny line cut through her forehead as her eyes ran through the text.

 _Lucas:_ I’m sorry about earlier.

 _Belle:_ It’s fine.

 _Lucas:_ I mean it. I acted like a jerk. I’m sorry, and I love you.

 _Belle:_ I love you, too.

She put the phone back into her purse and looked up, meeting Bobby’s eyes, a swarm of mixed emotions, and thorned thoughts entering her mind. He said nothing, just entwined their fingers, and tugged at her hand to make the girl walk faster.

“What’s the rush? Where we’re going?”

“Ye’ll see.”

He knew she was taken, and she told him herself she loved the guy… But she was there with _him_. She was there, with her hand in his and her eyes were sparkling because of him. And for now, it was enough.

Bobby brought the girl to the car park and pointed towards an orange Vespa.

“A Vespa? Like in Roman Holiday?” she raised an eyebrow slightly but couldn’t hide an excited smile playing on her lips.

“Better,” he threw one leg over the scooter and patted the space behind him. “Hop on, lassie.”

She rolled her eyes.

“Do I look like a Rough Collie to you?”

Bobby stared at the girl for a second before giving in. He reached for her hand and pulled her closer, still laughing.

He looked at her, and the words got stuck in his throat. Her piercing look went deep through his skin, reaching his heart, pulling on the strings he didn’t know were there. Suddenly, nothing in the world mattered anymore. There was just him and this girl that stole his heart and soul, and Bobby just knew, it was just as it was meant to be. Finally, everything felt right, he felt right, with her.

“Funny lassie,” he said in a raspy voice and helped her climb the scooter. “Hold on tight.”

Her arms weaved around his waist, and her chest pressed into Bobby’s back. He could feel her fastened heartbeat as he started the engine and drove the Vespa through the car park and onto the street.

“Do you even know where we’re going?” Belle leaned even closer.

“More or less,” he turned his head slightly. “Dae ye care?”

She laughed, loosening her hold of his waist as they drove through the loud, vibrant streets crowded with people in bright clothes. She didn’t care where they were headed, as long as he was with her. She didn’t know if this was right or what was going to happen ten days later but at that moment, none of that mattered. She was where she was supposed to be, she felt it in her bones – and it was enough. 

They moved along narrowed alleyways packed with small shops and homes with yellow, pink, and blue shutters and doors, and whenever the eye could reach, everything was so bright, so lively and vivid, it made her feel alive.

So alive, it made thrills of electricity run up and down her spine.

Bobby drove them through the maze of cobbled streets, maneuvering between the cafes and souvenir shops, feeling Belle’s hands on his body, warm and gentle, and his heart was doing somersaults inside the ribcage. They moved through the rare streetlights and crosswalks, in a whirlwind of honking, laughing, and shouting; through the smells of flowers, honeyed pastries, and spices; through the sounds of music changing from one open window to another until he finally took a turn on the avenue stretched from the center of the city to the seaside.

Bobby finally sped up, and the wind threw his dreads back, cooling his face.

He heard Belle laughing, and her hands slowly moved off his waist, and she spread them wide as if flying. He looked over his shoulder for a moment, just to have this image of her imprinted on his memory forever. The way her eyes shone, and her hair and dress blew, and her body sung with freedom and joy when their gazes locked.

“Watch the road, racer,” she laughed carelessly, closing her eyes and giving herself over to him completely. “I trust you, too.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you like this story, leave kudos and comments, it means the world ♥️
> 
> Playlist: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/17yEUs6zZmj6jj1ppC351S?si=pCHbU8WsSReZCqtowGCURQ


	4. Private Love.

“It’s so beautiful here,” Belle exhaled, mesmerized. “How do you know about this place?” 

The Scot held her by the hand as they walked closer to the edge of the rocky hill and stopped just above the clear azure water. 

“It’s breathtaking,” he exhaled, his gaze fixed on Belle’s sparkling eyes as she drunk in the landscape around her. 

They both fell silent for a long moment, unable to drag their gazes off the views before them. Their views were so different, but his was perfect, better than hers, better than any scenery in the world.

“It’s all Rocco,” Bobby admitted after he managed to pry his eyes off of the girl, pointing towards the decking across the lake from them. “His cousin’s ex-boyfriend’s brother…” he stopped, and both of them burst into giggles. 

Belle’s fragile, tender fingers squeezed his, and the man’s heart jumped all the way to his throat when he saw the way she tossed her head in a fit of laughter. Her long, tangled curls cascaded down her shoulders, and she flipped them over her shoulder in a casual gesture and looked up at Bobby. His breath hitched as her eyes slowly traveled across his face until finally met his. 

Bobby swallowed hard and continued, his cheeks flushed red. 

“Erm, anyway, that guy wirks thare,” he nodded towards the open-air café. “And Rocco asked him for a favor.” 

Belle smiled gently as she watched Bobby’s blushing face closely. She knew about this lake, but whenever Lucas had free time, he preferred going to one of the islands where they could just stay at the hotel and spend their days in a plunge pool, with the sea view stretched to infinity. 

And she loved him for that. She loved him for wanting only her, for being so focused on just the two of them… She had to force the thoughts about Lucas out of her mind. She spent the entire morning thinking about him, thinking about Bobby and about her own sanity that seemed to leave her the moment she accepted the stranger’s hand. 

She turned to Bobby and saw the reflection of her own fears in his amber eyes that were watching her closely, and the warmth in them enveloped her into embrace the moment their gazes met. Was this even real? Maybe she was just dreaming? Maybe she just fell asleep watching one of those silly romantic movies that Lottie loved so much? She will wake up and she’ll find herself standing next to the vendor at the Gardens, holding pastries in her hands, but there will be no Bobby to run into her, and no ten days that she promised him. 

“Whit urr ye thinking aboot?” he asked quietly as a shadow fell across her beautiful face, darkening her eyes. 

“What if this is just a dream?” she whispered desperately, and he couldn’t tell if she was dreading it or wishing for it. “What if none of this is real, and I’ll wake up and realize that you never existed?” 

Just a mere thought of that echoed with pain in her heart, and she barely managed to stop her hand before it reached her chest. 

“A’m real,” Bobby’s fingers caught the girl’s chin, making her look him in the eyes. 

His other hand lay on the small of her back, gently bringing her closer to him. If she was just a mirage, just a figment of his imagination, he never wanted to come back to his senses. If she wasn’t real, he wasn’t either… 

“Look at me,” his thumb caressed her cheek as he continued, his voice suddenly shaking and low. “A’m real. Can’t ye feel it?” 

His hand moved to catch her fingers and press her palm to his chest, just over his heart that was pounding inside the ribcage so fast and heavy, as if trying to break through and jump into the girl’s hands. 

“This is real,” he continued. “Whatever is that ye’r feeling is real, and ye know it.” 

She knew it, and that what scared her the most. How could it be that someone she met less than twenty-four hours made her feel… this? She couldn’t describe the feeling of finally being where she belonged whenever he was around, as if being close to him was where she was supposed to be as if in this stranger, she found her home, her place, the reason of her existence itself. 

Feeling Bobby’s heartbeat under her fingers, she couldn’t find the words to speak. There wasn’t a word that could’ve described the way she wished for these ten, now, nine, days to never end – and how she dreaded living through each one of them. What if in the end, he does what he promised? What if he makes her fall in love with him, what would she do then? 

Catching her suddenly stuttered breath, she let her eyes wander. 

“Is that for us?” she pointed towards the smaller cliff where a picnic was laid out. 

Bobby followed her gaze and nodded. “Now ye know why all girls fall for Rocco.” 

When Rocco told him to take Belle to the lake which name Bobby couldn’t even pronounce, the Scot didn’t know what to expect – and now, he remembered the smile on his best friend’s lips as the man left them this morning, and his heart swelled in his chest. 

“Not _all_ ,” Belle noted softly and touched his face gently. 

The way Bobby’s smile lit up his entire face almost knocked her off her feet. There was everything in his sparkling eyes, love, fear, determination… and love again. His feelings washed over her like an ocean wave, kicking the breath out of the girl, blurring her vision, and carrying her away, to the place where nothing else existed but this smile of his. 

He slowly ran his fingers through her curls, and she leaned into his touch unconsciously, almost instinctively. Happily, Bobby sighed and pulled the girl closer and threw his arms around her, looking in her eyes contentedly. 

“Ah only need one,” he spoke quietly fearful that any higher tone would scare away the rapt look in Belle’s blue eyes. 

Unable to stop himself, he pressed his lips to her cheek, and her skin turned hot the same moment. He pulled away slightly and nodded towards the large checkered blanket. 

They carefully moved among the rocks, attracting curious glances from the people below. Bobby jumped onto the ground first and outstretched his hands to help Belle. She bit her lip nervously clenching her hands on his shoulder, and Bobby took a firm grip of her waist, lowering her next to him carefully. 

Her hair brushed against his skin, filling his lungs with the delicate fragrance of her perfume, tender white flowers, the sweetness of pastries, and something else, something he couldn’t identify but was drawn to. He reached for her as sunflowers reach for the sun; he was searching for her like small brooks search for a river to flow into; he was attracted to her like opposite poles of magnets attract one another… Everything about her made him crave her closeness as if she was a part of him, a part that has been missing for so long and that he finally found. 

His hands lingered on her body, and she trembled beneath his touch. 

Their eyes met, and they froze, unwilling to let go of each other, surrounded by the old stones and rocks that have seen so many stories of love, so many tears of happiness… and pain. Was she bound to become just another memory of a face wracked with pain and sorrow? 

“Sorry,” Bobby’s cheeks flushed red with embarrassment as he realized he’s been staring at the girl for way too long, and she couldn’t fight a small smile back.

They both walked closer to the blanket and sat down on the soft fabric careful of the open picnic hamper. Bobby reached for the champagne sitting in the ice bucket and popped the cork in a deft, smooth movement. 

“Impressive,” the girl laughed, bringing two champagne flutes closer. “I usually just spill it on myself whenever I try to open a bottle.” 

Her cheeks reddened just a little, and he barely held the bottle in his suddenly shaking hand. She was so perfect; she was this celestial creature that should’ve been floating among the clouds instead of walking the Earth… And yet, she was flawed, and somehow, it made her even more perfect in Bobby’s eyes. 

He loved learning every little thing about her, be it her poor bottle-opening skills or the way she tossed her hair whenever she needed a second to think. He loved that she seemed to be quite reserved but at the same time she was open to anything new and was able to speak for hours. He loved that she was heavenly beautiful but seemed not to notice the way people followed her with their eyes wherever she went. 

And he loved the way her presence elevated him, made him bigger than what he was, bigger than just a guy who works at his family’s restaurant and spends most of his nights reading books or singing at the bar for a bunch of strangers who have nothing else to do with their lives but to get drunk off cheap whiskey… He loved who he was with her, who he became because of her. 

“What are you thinking about it?” Belle’s soft voice gently guided him out of his little reverie, and Bobby smiled, moving closer to her. 

“Ye,” he said simply. “And how lucky a’m fur finding ye.” 

Her breath hitched when Bobby took her hand into his and brought it to his lips. “A've ne'er dreamt o' love 'n' yit ye found me.” 

The fell silent, thinking about his words. Belle’s gaze wandered from the man’s face to the people on the other side of the bank and back to Bobby. She barely knew anything about him, how could she feel that way about almost a stranger? 

“Tell me about your family,” she asked, reaching for the bowl of grapes. “What are they like?” 

Bobby’s face lit up the moment he thought of them, and imagined, against his will, the way their faces would look when he came back to Edinburg with Belle… A shadow ran across his features: what if she doesn’t choose him in the end? What if the love of his life will be never his? 

He shook it off and started speaking. He told her about his grandpa, who made little Bobby fall in love with cooking, as he used to come round his restaurant every day and watch the old man work in the kitchen for hours. He told her about his grandmother who moved countries to be with her husband who she spent almost sixty years of her life with before he passed away. He told her about his parents who supported him with anything and everything he ever did. Told her about his dad who came to the bar to listen to him and Rocco whenever he could and cheered the loudest for them. 

He told her about his mom who made wood furniture and was always mocked by her friends for doing a ‘man’s job’ but never got discouraged and always fought for her right to do what she loved. He told her about their restaurant that his grandpa passed to him and that was his favorite place in the world as it reminded him of the man who taught him so much about life… 

She was listening to him, and she could see those faces, could imagine the smell of the restaurant’s kitchen, could almost feel the warmth coming from Bobby’s tone of voice as he spoke about his life… and at that moment, she wished she could be a part of that life. She saw the way his eyes sparkled as he talked about his family and wondered what it would feel like, having him look at her that way. She wondered what it would be like, being someone who makes him feel that way, but she didn’t know that she was that person. 

The conversation flowed for hours, as they talked about everything and everyone. She told him about her first apartment in New York, a tiny studio just above a coffee shop, and how she used to run downstairs wearing her pajamas. She told him about Lottie and Priya, and how the three of them used to be inseparable since their first day at Brown. She told him how beautiful Providence was in autumn, and how she once got lost and missed her final exam. 

She told him she always dreamed of writing a book that will change somebody’s life – and how scared she was every moment she sat down to write. She told him how she missed her home and how much she loved Athens, and how she wished she wasn’t too shy to make new friends here… 

Bobby wasn’t sure that at that moment, anything in the world existed but her soft, melodic voice and her calm blue eyes that stared into the distance as she spoke. She was so beautiful, it almost hurt his eyes to look at her. It wasn’t for the way the perfect curves of her body fell into each other, or for the way the lines in her face were sculptured... She was beautiful with her eyes sparkling with passion as she spoke about the book she was reading, and for the way she found joy in small, everyday things, and for the softness of her touch... He could see through her skin, into her soul, and it almost blinded him.

The lights across the lake went on, and they heard the distant sounds of the music. Belle shivered under a sudden gust of wind, and only then they noticed that the sun has traveled all the way across the horizon and was now almost hidden under the water surface.

“It’s already sunset,” she noted, somewhat surprised. 

“Seems lik' they're huvin fin,” Bobby waved his hand towards the people on the other bank. “C’mon, lets get doon thare 'n' see whit's guid.” 

He jumped to his feet and helped the girl up. Driving the scooter down the rocky road, he couldn’t stop thinking about every little thing that she just told him. That her favorite flowers were white lilies, and that once, she got bitten by a monkey, and that she’s been to Edinburg just once when she was a child but will never forget a little boy that ran into her and knocked her off her feet and she ended up in a muddy puddle… 

Her arms wrapped around her waist brought him warmth and comfort, and the sense of peace he never knew existed, and he wished this feeling to never stop. 

The large patio umbrellas were already closed by the time they reached the crowded decking stretched over the entire bank of the lake. Bobby’s fingers slipped through Belle’s as they walked down the stairs, getting closer to the blasting tunes of local music and the smell of grilled lamb, spiced honey, and incense. 

Their second day together was coming to an inevitable end, and Bobby was trying to catch the last fleeting moments of it before it was time to go back. Every second spent with her was a revelation, a discovery that he made about himself, about the secrets lying deep within his soul. Getting to know her felt as if he was finally given a chance to find out the truth about his own self. 

Her every word echoed in his heart, and even if asked, he would never be able to explain the strange familiarity of those her, as if he’d known her for centuries as if she wasn’t this beautiful girl that he just met in the cobbled streets of an ancient city. How many feet walked those streets before him? How many lovers those walls have seen before his heart fell the blonde girl’s feet? How many more love stories this city will witness after he’s gone? 

Belle watched the man’s face as he froze just inches away from the end of the decking, staring into the now dark water. She could read his mind as if his thoughts were her own as if he was an old book that she’s read so many times that she could quote its pages by heart. 

She gently weaved her arm around his waist, snuggling closer, and he hugged her in return, not breaking the comfortable silence between them. Just his presence was enough to fill her chest with flickering fairy lights that shone so bright that their light almost pierced through her skin, lightning up her body, making her skin glow in the evening darkness. 

Bobby turned slowly to her, his face lit up by the light emanating from her body, the light that only he could see. He wished he could somehow find a way to get closer to her, to remove this space between them completely, merge into one… She was this part, this half of him that’s been missing forever, and now he found it, and he needed to be whole again. 

In her, he found himself. In her eyes, in her soft touch, in the chime of her melodic laugh, was he. 

“Keep me close,” he whispered before hiding his face in her hair worried she’d disappear if he stepped even half an inch away. “Please, keep me closer.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you like this story, leave kudos and comments, it means the world ♥️
> 
> Playlist: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/17yEUs6zZmj6jj1ppC351S?si=pCHbU8WsSReZCqtowGCURQ


	5. I Can't Love You.

A soft ring of wind chimes woke Belle up. She sat up in bed with her eyes still closed and reached to shake Lucas awake, the way she usually did. Her hand found an empty space, and the memories of the past two days crushed over her like ocean waves.

She opened her eyes and looked at the space next to her, almost able to picture Lucas’ head on the pillow, and his dark hair splayed across it. She knew that he’d opened his eyes the moment she stirred next to him and would’ve watched her for a few moments in silence, as he hated talking the first thing in the morning.

Then, he’d ran his fingers over the skin of her arm and slipped out of bed to go to the kitchen and put the briki on the stove to make coffee for both of them, and she’d just stayed in the bed and out of his way as he’d be getting ready for the day.

Then, he’d brought her a cup of coffee and put it on a coaster on the side table while he sat on the bed on Belle’s side. He’d leaned into her to press a kiss to her lips and wished her a good morning. That’d be his first words, said in a still slightly raspy voice that sent shivers down her spine every single time.

Before leaving, he’d asked her to do something for him: write a page, or go running, or draw a painting of a large bouquet of flowers sitting on the windowsill in the kitchen. She’d kissed him goodbye and closed the door behind him, promising to do whatever he told her to, and spend the day waiting for the evening, when he’ll get back home…

Slowly, she tossed her long, messy curls over her shoulder and threw the blanket aside. The events of the past two days somehow mixed together, creating a cocktail of emotions, sounds, and blurred bright spots of colors.

Last night, she fell asleep talking to Bobby, and now her phone stared at her with the dark, lifeless screen. She plugged it in to charge and threw a soft cashmere cardigan above her pajama, shivering in the cool morning air. As the girl walked down the wide, brightly lit corridor, she caught her reflection in the large mirror hanging on the wall.

She looked just the same as always. The same forget-me-not sparkling eyes, the same soft, sun-kissed skin, the same gentle features… she looked exactly the same as the day Lucas left, so why did she feel so different?

“Nothing has changed,” she told her reflection before continuing her way to the kitchen.

This morning, she couldn’t go see Bobby, and part of her felt like a ruffled sparrow, unsettled, and worried. What if he just forgets about her? What if he goes for a walk and meets someone else, someone who would be a better match for him? Someone who actually could be with him… Those thoughts were swarming in her head like a hive of importunate, hungry bees, ready to sting.

What if he just leaves?

The girl found a box of loukoumades and poured herself a cup of tea, too impatient to make coffee, and stepped out on the balcony. It was still early, and she sat at the small, wrought table, listening to the morning silence only broke with rare screams of seagulls and the rustle of the cobbled pavement under the wheels of rare cars moving slowly down the narrow, sleepy street.

She put her cup down and returned to the bedroom to grab her phone.

A line cut through Belle’s forehead as she saw missed calls notifications, and a pang of guilt pierced her heart. The girl took a deep, slow breath and looked at the clock: it was just about seven in the morning in London. She returned to the balcony and pressed ‘call’.

“Hey,” she heard Lucas’ raspy morning voice after the second ring.

“Hey,” she said quietly. “Did I wake you up?”

A rustle of sheets was her answer, and Belle added: “Sorry.”

“It’s okay,” Lucas turned the video on, and she couldn’t hide a small smile that appeared on her lips at the sight of his half-asleep face and ruffled hair. “I called you last night, but it went into voicemail. Is everything fine?”

She didn’t allow her breath hitch and just nodded, an unsettling feeling of guilt growing stronger.

“Yeah, I was on the phone with Priya until I crashed out, and then my phone died.”

She never lied to him, not even once since the first time they met, and now, the lie slipped off her tongue so easily, it scared her.

Lucas just nodded and slowly pushed the duvet aside, getting out of the bed. She could see the glimpses of his hotel suite, impeccably clean and tidy. He went into the bathroom and put the phone onto the wide marble sink counter. He hated speaking in the morning, so Belle started telling him about all the little things she could’ve thought of. Small details she’d noticed yesterday as she was sitting at the café with Bobby.

How could she do this? How could she spend her days with somebody else and then lie about it? Her voice trembled barely audible as she described Vouliagmeni lake without mention that she wasn’t there alone, and Lucas caught her eyes, wrapping a towel around his hips as he stepped out of the shower.

“How’s the book coming along?”

She shrugged, her cheeks blushing just a little. “Not too well, I haven’t written a line,” she said honestly, and a small smile touched the man’s lips: he loved that she wasn’t able to lie to him. Not to a direct question, at least…

She could feel his hesitation, and it made her heart thump faster in her chest. This wasn’t right. Whatever her feelings for Bobby were, spending time with him was wrong and she should’ve put an end to it after that dance class… no, she should’ve never started it at all. She should’ve just explained him how to get to his hotel and leave. She should’ve remembered that fairytales are only real on the book pages.

Her mind wandered back to those two days she had spent with Bobby, to the feeling of utter bliss and unclouded happiness that she felt every moment he was near; to the way she got lost in his eyes and the way he looked at her as if he could see only her as if she was the only person left in the world. She thought of how sure he was that she will fall in love with him in those ten days that she promised him, and her body felt with guilt.

She couldn’t love Bobby. It was impossible, and their ten days were just a silly kids’ play. How could she fall in love with him if she already had someone she loved?

“Hey,” she called for Lucas quietly as the man was buttoning his shirt. “I miss you.”

He looked at his phone, and his eyebrows furrowed slightly.

“I miss you, too,” he sat down at the desk, closer to the camera. “It’s only six days left.”

Belle nodded.

“When are you going to Oxford?”

“If nothing changes, in three days. Mother is determined to introduce me to potential husband number four.”

Lucas grabbed the phone and brought it closer to his eyes, spotting every tremble of the girl’s eyelashes, every movement of her eyes, every soft bounce of her curls under the morning breeze. He looked her in the eyes and said softly, gently almost. “I’ve got to go.”

“Sure,” she smiled. “Have a good day.”

“Write something today,” he asked before ending the call.

She walked back inside and glanced at her laptop sitting on top of the kitchen counter, just where she left it days ago.

 _Bobby:_ _Mornin', bonnie._

The girl stared at the screen for a moment, uncertain, before typing the response.

 _Belle:_ _Hey, can’t talk now, the carpenter will be here at any moment._

She threw the phone screen down on the drinks cabinet and moved past it, grazing her bottom lip between her teeth. First, she lied to Lucas. Now, she lied to Bobby. The man Lucas hired to make a dining table for them wasn’t going to arrive until after ten, but she just couldn’t talk to the Scot, not after her conversation with Lucas.

She sat down on the barstool next to the kitchen counter and opened the notebook. Her fingers aimlessly ran over the keyboard as she stared at the empty page for a few long moments before finally typing. _“Ten Days.”_

Bobby stared at her message, his eyebrows furrowed and heart racing, and then closed the app and dialed Rocco.

“Bobby, my dear fellow,” the dark-haired man smiled widely in the camera. “To what do I owe such pleasure?”

“Oi, shut up,” Bobby rolled his eyes.

Rocco arched an eyebrow, studying his best friend curiously. “You called me to tell me to shut up?”

The Scot’s face fell a little, and the other man added, quickly.

“What’s wrong, bluecap?”

Bobby just sighed, unsure where to start. They’ve spent a perfect day and evening together with Belle, and when he drove her back home, he could swear, she fought back the urge to kiss him. When he called her in half an hour, they both already in their beds, the conversation went on until she fell asleep mid-sentence, and Bobby just stayed on the phone, listening to her breathing, until her phone died.

And this morning, something was off. She only sent him one message, but he could feel that something wasn’t right. It was only half-past nine, and she told him yesterday the guy was supposed to come after ten…

“You’re reading too much into it,” Rocco cut him off. “You said yourself, yesterday was perfect. Hold on to that, mate, and don’t let the doubts get the best of you.”

Bobby’s cheeks flushed red with embarrassment as she realized, how childish and ridiculous his words must’ve sounded to his friend – hell, even to himself. She only said she couldn’t talk at the moment, and it somehow shook his entire world, turning excitement into a panic. What if she just woke up not _feeling_ it anymore? What if she spoke to her boyfriend and decided she didn’t need Bobby? What if she regretted their time together, what if… _what if she never wanted to see him again?_

The last question slipped off his lips desperately, and Rocco looked at his friend sternly, his always smiling green eyes now became unusually serious and deep.

“Listen to me, Rob,” the man said firmly. “You might be right. She might be talking to him right now, but so what? Unless she tells you that she doesn’t want to see you ever again, that’s not your problem. All you can do is to show her how much _you_ want her. And, from what I saw yesterday, your feelings are much mutual than you think.”

A tight knot in Bobby’s stomach loosened just a little by the time he ended the call. After a moment of hesitation, he dialed his dad’s number.

“Bobby,” his father turned the voice call into a video and flipped the camera. “A' body, keek who's 'ere.”

Bobby rolled his eyes. “Da, they cannae see me,” his heart filled with warmth as he saw his uncle and niece. “Hey, guys.”

He frowned just a little before continuing.

“Da, kin ah speaks tae ye fur a seicont? Alone.”

His father nodded and said something to the others before he went into the small study and closed the door behind himself. Finally, when no one could hear them, the elder man put his phone on the desk and sat in the chair.

“Whit's gaun oan, laddie?”

“Nothing much,” Bobby frowned a little. “Ah just… decided tae bade 'ere fur langer.”

“Howfur muckle langer?”

“Ah will bade 'ere fur mah birthday.”

His father went silent for a moment before speaking again. “Ye’r turning twenty-five.”

“Ah know, da… Ah just, this girl…”

The elder man let out a soft laugh and shook his head, a spark of amusement in his eyes. “Ah see now. Rocco mentioned something aboot yer freish mukker bit then someone called me... He's gonnae come round th' nicht.”

Bobby blushed under his father’s studying look.

“She mist be pure special.”

“She is,” the young man nodded, and a smile lit up his face as he spoke. “A've ne'er met a'body lik' her, da. She laughs 'n' a'm feelin' lik' a'm filled wi' air 'n' kin juist float up in th' air. Ah hear her voice, 'n' a'm happy, th' wey ah wis ne'er afore.”

His father watched Bobby with a small, content smile hidden in the corners of his mouth. He couldn’t remember the one time his son spoke like that about anyone or anything, with so much raw passion and love. It was lovely, undoubtedly, pure, vivid, the kind of love that changes lives. After a while, the man interrupted his son.

“How come urr ye aye talking tae me laddie? Go, be wi' th' lassie.”

“Ah love you, da,” Bobby’s voice broke a little and he hurried to end the call.

It didn’t matter if she loved someone else, didn’t matter if her posh boyfriend was a better suit for her – she will love him more, Bobby just knew. She will love him best.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you like this story, leave kudos and comments, it means the world ♥️
> 
> Playlist: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/17yEUs6zZmj6jj1ppC351S?si=pCHbU8WsSReZCqtowGCURQ


	6. Painted Love.

Bobby’s heart was hammering out of his chest as he slowly walked down the street, kicking the rare fallen leaves. The walk from his hotel in the heart of Plaka to Belle’s house only took about twenty minutes, and this time wasn’t anywhere enough for him to gather his thoughts that were scattered like a flock of scared crows. Nervous excitement was running through his body, a familiar feeling whenever he saw Belle, or thought of her, or was reminded of her.

He saw her just last night but it felt like a century had passed since the last time he held her hand in his and saw her face in the light of thousands of bright stars that seemed dull next to the glimmer of her eyes. It's been hours since he last heard her voice saying his name, and it was torture, the way he missed it.

He stopped across the street from the three-story heigh building of creamy-white concrete with small balconies drowning in wisteria leaves and flowerpots filled with colorful blooms. For a moment, Bobby just stood there, trying to gain the confidence to walk up closer or just text Belle that he was already there, in case she didn’t want him to come up and see her flat…

For the fifth time, he straightened his clothes nervously and glanced at his reflection in the mirrored windows of one of the small boutiques trying to see himself the way Belle would. Were his black jeans and white t-shirt paired with the black jacket too simple? She always looked so perfect, so beautiful, as if she just stepped out of a magazine cover, and he… he was just this lad with dreads and tons of practical clothes.

He didn’t know much about her boyfriend, but he figured he was posh and successful, the head of a private clinic. One of those guys styling their hair to look as if he just woke up and wearing suits at nine in the morning. Bobby shook his head snapping himself out of his anxious thoughts and looked up at the building again, trying to figure out which of those windows were Belle’s.

As if she felt his presence, she stepped out on the balcony, and his heart skipped a beat and then another, and another, and one more before racing out of his chest, flying up the stairs and throwing itself to the girl’s feet. Her hair cascaded down her shoulders glowing under the warm rays of the early afternoon sun, creating a halo around her.

She looked down and saw him watching her, his eyes filled with adoration, and her pulse quickened. He was just standing there looking at her, but it made her heart stuck with a lump in her throat, and her breath hitch and her body tremble with excitement.

Barely noticing anything, she got back inside and grabbed a small straw bag and glanced in the mirror, more out of the habit than because she wanted to look at her own reflection. A soft smile played on her lips as she closed the door and ran down the stairs, careless that her excitement was more than obvious to anyone.

Bobby froze to a spot, unable to take his eyes off of her. Her heavenly beauty took the words away from him, it turned his world upside down and turned himself from inside out. She walked closer to him, and he just stood there, entranced and lost to the entire world, lost to everyone but her. He wasn't sleeping but he was dreaming.

“Hey,” her soft voice snapped the man out of his trance, and he grabbed the girl by the waist and lifted her up, spinning around.

She startled for a moment, and then, her melodic laughter filled the air.

“Bobby!” she threw her head back, looking up into the soft-blue skies with gently, fluffy marshmallows of clouds slowly drifting by.

“Dinnae tell me ye didnae lik' it,’ the Scot smirked as he finally put her back on the ground.

She only laughed again and ran her hand through his hair and then brushed his cheek with her fingertips. Bobby stared at her, mesmerized by the way her blue eyes reflected the sunlight.

“Ye’r so beautiful,” he whispered.

“So are you,” she said quietly, and her fingers lingered on his skin.

Only this morning she thought of putting a stop to this. She was so determined to tell Bobby they couldn’t see each other anymore – and there she was, mere inches from him, basking in the glow of his tender amber eyes. All her defenses and doubts seemed to go away whenever he was around, whenever she was in the warmth of his presence.

It might’ve been wrong, being there with him, but it felt so right, it felt like the most natural thing in the world, it felt like…

She slowly moved her hand off Bobby’s cheek and fixed her hair, giving herself a few seconds before she had to speak. His eyes followed the movements of her fingers running through her curls, and his heart filled with adoration and the need to protect her. He wasn’t sure from what, he only knew that he’d do anything, everything, to cast away any fears or doubts that she might’ve had.

“So,” the girl said finally. “What’s the plan?”

Bobby grinned widely. “Ye said ye’r taking painting classes.”

“Yeah,” she nodded, surprised. “Why?”

“Ah thought ye might tak’ me thare,” his smile grew even bigger when he saw the way Belle’s face lit up with anticipation.

“Really?” her voice was ringing with excitement. “I haven’t been there in weeks, never enough time…” she stopped herself, smiling bitterly.

Somehow, she never had time for anything, even having all the time in the world on her hands. She frowned slightly and pulled her phone out of the purse.

“You’re in luck,” she said after a few short moments. “Let’s go then, it starts in about an hour.”

He followed her through the glass and bricks of the buildings that were towered over them, through the narrowed streets and busy streets full of life, so full of colors and sounds and stories… Bobby’s arm rested around Belle’s shoulders, and she, after a moment of hesitation, brought her hand up and entwined their fingers.

The man’s eyes sparkled happily, and he brushed the side of her head with his lips and started talking about his morning immediately, not letting her – or himself – to overthink the kiss.

She listened to him, and it seemed to her that the only thing she could’ve thought of was how she wanted him to keep talking forever as hid voice was now her favorite sound. His little stories about getting lost in the National Library and becoming an unwilling participant of a family drama somewhere in Monastiraki, and pretending to be from the Royal family at the small hat store not far from Parthenos…

She listened to him, and the entire world around her just disappeared, too insignificant and small. Whenever he spoke, she wished he never stopped, she needed to know all about this stranger that somehow felt like a forgotten part of her own soul.

It took them a little less than an hour to get to the building of the Archeological Museum, and Bobby looked around himself, curiously.

“Ah remember this,” he pointed towards the museum. “Two blocks from ‘ere ah almost got knocked down by this barmy kid on a hoverboard… Oh, dae ye ken whaur ah cuid rent yin?”

Belle rolled her eyes. “Are you twelve? No one past that age is allowed to use those ridiculous things.”

“Oi,” he pulled her closer. “Dinnae judge afore ye try.”

She kept silent for a moment and then nodded.

“You’re right.”

“As always.”

The girl stared at him with a raised eyebrow. “Do you need me to remind you that we met when you got lost?”

He laughed in response, pressing his forehead against the side of her head, and the soft, dainty scent of her hair filled his lungs. Her scent was just like herself, so delicate and sweet, his heart swelled in his chest with tenderness. Bobby dragged himself away unwillingly and pointed towards the museum.

“Shall we?”

They got inside, and he watched the way Belle’s demeanor changed. She became more confident, knowing exactly where to go and who to speak to, a look of determination appeared on her usually calm face. As they took their places behind the drawing easels, Bobby barely noticed the sculptures surrounding them, his eyes were only set on the girl next to him and the way her eyes sparkled at the sight around her.

“How good of a painter you are?” she asked quietly as the class began, and the teacher started explaining something in Greek.

“A dreadful one,” Bobby answered, and Belle chuckled.

“That’s okay, I’m not that good either,” she smiled at him encouragingly. “Just find something in the room that makes you _feel_ – and then try to bring that emotion on the paper.”

He nodded, and they went quiet. Belle passed the man one earphone and turned on the music, submerging into the soft piano accords. She didn’t lie, she wasn’t good at painting – but it didn’t matter. She loved the freedom it gave her; she could just run the brush over the canvas until all her emotions were imprinted there forever, and she became free of them.

Her eyes fell on Bobby’s long, slender fingers holding the brush, and she started painting, barely registering anything but the way his hand moved across the canvas. His movements mesmerized her, and she just followed them with her own brush, unreachable to the entire world.

“O chronos sou teleiosei,” the curator’s voice broke through her haze, and Belle put her brushes down, stretching her arms and noticing that the sun was slowly reaching the horizon.

She looked at Bobby, and her eyes widened.

“I thought, you were a horrible painter,” she whispered, and the tone of her voice attracted a few people.

They gathered around Bobby’s painting, staring at the canvas in awe. He knew it was her, in the barely traceable lines she could see the curves of her lips and the furrow of her brows. And there was no way not to recognize her own forget-me-not eyes that took almost the entirety of the painting.

“Bravo, neos andras,” the curator stepped closer and repeated in English. “Very well done, young man. Please, come here more.”

Bobby frowned a little, uncomfortable with such attention to something that seemed so sacred to him.

“Um, cheers,” he shifted nervously from one foot to another and glanced at Belle.

She looked back at him, and the way her eyes burned deep under his skin created a thrill of electricity that pierced through his spine and sent little shudders all over his body. No one ever looked at him like that in his life. Bobby couldn’t identify the emotion behind that look, but every single nerve in his body got electrified.

His voice broke when he tried speaking, and so he just stared at the girl helplessly.

Belle shook off the strange feeling that took over her for a moment and let a soft smile appear on her lips. “This is beautiful.”

She ran her fingers slowly over his arm, and his skin prickled with goosebumps under her touch.

“Ye like it?”

“Can’t you tell?”

“Ah want ye to have it, then.”

She snapped her eyes up at him. “Are you sure?”

“Aye,” Bobby nodded, regaining his composure. “If ye want it, that is.”

She knew it was a bad idea, how would she explain this painting to Lucas? She will have to lie to him if she accepts Bobby’s gift, it was reckless and…

“I do,” she said against her own reasonings and took the painting off the drawing easel careful not to touch the still wet paint.

“Ah wanna take ye somewhere,” Bobby said quietly when they walked outside.

“You can take me anywhere,” she answered just as quiet. “I thought it was obvious by this point.”

The way she said those words, her voice, and the glimmer in her eyes… It took all of his strength not to grab her in his arms and kiss her until they both suffocate.

Bobby took the painting from the girl’s hands to carry it for her and wrapped his free arm around her shoulders, needing that physical contact as if scared that she might just disappear if he didn’t cling on to her.

They walked down the crowded streets until finally reached Acropolis just moments before the shades of night fell onto the city, and the ruins of the building illuminated with soft, warm light. 

“I’ve never caught the moment they lit it up before,” the girl noted, looking at the grandiose construction before here. “It reminds me of when they lit up the Christmas tree in New York. It’s just a short, fleeting moment but somehow being there at that second makes you feel bigger than you are.”

She went quiet, almost embarrassed about what she just said, and Bobby turned her to face him.

“Ah think it’s beautiful,” he said tenderly. “Rocco wance tellt me that he travels tae cop howfur muckle th' world is, 'n' it mak's him cop wee – 'n' an' a' bigger than his-sel, whenever he climbs a freish ben or walks under th' domes o' an ancient cathedral.”

He slowly walked her towards the heavy columns, and Belle followed him carefully, her flowing milky-white dress waving in the evening breeze.

“Careful,” he grabbed her arm when the girl’s foot slipped off one of the rocks.

“If I knew we’ll be breaking in…”

“We’re no breakin' i,” Bobby led her away from the Parthenon and walked towards The Theatre of Dionysus that was buried into almost complete darkness." It'd be break-in gin thare wis an actual door.”

Belle rolled her eyes but realized he couldn’t see her and added, barely hiding excitement: “Smartass.”

The Scot chuckled and continued his way through the old ruins holding her arm tightly with one hand and the painting with another. They were getting more far from the alight area until finally, they reached the rows of steps coming down to the stage of the Theatre. Bobby walked first, using the flashlight of his phone to illuminate the space before them.

The girl followed him with no hesitation, and it made his heart beat even faster.

“We’re so gonna get caught,” she laughed happily as they reached the bottom of the orchestra.

“Not if we’re quiet,” Bobby helped her jump off the last step. “Come ‘ere.”

He put the painting on the ground and took off his jacket, regretting not bringing a plaid or something more suitable than his jacket to sit on. He spread it in the center of the orchestra and sat down, patting the space next to him.

Belle lowered herself carefully next to him, and Bobby lay down on his back, making the space for the girl to do the same. She rested her head on his shoulder as his arm snaked under her neck, and they went still, watching the sky above them lit up with thousands of stars.

“I never knew it was possible to see so many stars in the city,” she whispered ghosting her breath on the skin of his neck.

He tilted his head to watch her as she looked at the constellations, and there was no other place in the Universe for him but there, next to his own shooting star.

 _I love you_ , he wanted to say but kept silent, scared to break the perfection of the moment. He had all the time in the world to tell her that, he _felt_ it. With every bone, he just knew that she will belong to him, that no matter what the journey there will be, they will be together in the end. And right there and then, that was enough.

_____________________________________

*O chronos sou teleiosei - the time is up

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you like this story, leave kudos and comments, it means the world ♥️
> 
> Playlist: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/17yEUs6zZmj6jj1ppC351S?si=pCHbU8WsSReZCqtowGCURQ


	7. Skinny Love.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> a quick update in the end notes💋

The first five of their ten days passed by in the whirlwind of colors, scents, and memories that were going to stay with the two of them until the very last breath. Every moment Belle spent with this strange Scot filled her with the joy she never thought it was ever possible to experience, with him, she became more than herself, more than just a human. With him, she became a gust of free, careless wind; a bright, sun-filled afternoon; loud, delighted laughter.

She became what she never thought she was - but somehow, it was her. She found herself in his gentle touch and soft voice; she found herself in his beautiful amber eyes and the warm skin of his fingers, entwined with hers; she found herself where she never thought she might’ve been, found herself even without knowing that she was lost.

He was her first thought when she woke up in the morning and her last memory when her eyes fell close in the night. He was the music in her speaker when she mopped the kitchen floor and the taste of her favorite pastries on her tongue. He was the beat of his heart when she ran down the stairs and the blow of the wind that threw her hair over her eyes.

He was everything at once, a part of her that she never knew was missing until he found her. Sometimes, when he spoke, she would get this feeling of familiarity that she couldn’t shake off, as if it had already happened before but she just couldn’t remember exactly when. This feeling that she’s known him before they even met kept following her, whispering things to her that she was too scared to hear.

Whispering that he was the one for her, the one who she was _meant_ to find, and nothing else mattered but the way his presence made her feel complete.

Every time she saw him, everything inside of her turned upside down – or fallen into places, and each little cell of her body gravitated to him, trying to get as closer as it was possible as if trying to amalgamate with him, become an inseparable one that no one could ever divide.

Bobby kept finding new places to take her to but to her, it didn’t matter where they were going or what they were doing, she would’ve been just as happy to just stand in the middle of the street for hours as sitting at the rooftop restaurant and making fun of Bobby’s inability to order food. Every day he found new ways to surprise her, taking her up the mountains or to the old distillery, or the graffiti wall in Anafiotika and then sneak into someone’s small backyard to eat some grapes right off the vine and get caught and yelled at – and end up drinking tea with the house owner.

Whether they were budging their way through the busy flea market in Monastiraki and discussing how they would’ve decorated a house with all those antique bits and pieces, or watching a movie under the stars, Belle couldn’t believe she wasn’t dreaming. Somehow, being with Bobby felt like both the most real thing in her life and a fairy-tale that she didn’t want to ever end.

She wanted their ten days to never end, wanted to stop the time that was running out too fast, wanted to stay in one of these days forever.

Belle shook her hair, staring at her reflection in the bathroom mirror. No matter what she was doing, her thoughts always kept going back to Bobby, as if magnetized. She pulled her soft blonde curls up into a messy bun and splashed her face with cold water trying to cool her flushed skin.

She almost kissed him last night, again.

It was almost four in the morning when he finally got to her house, and her feet were barely moving after the night of dancing and walking through the sleeping town. The street was empty and quiet, so quiet they could hear someone’s snoring through the open windows.

The girl flopped ungracefully on the stairs and took off her shoes, stretching her legs with a soft moan. Bobby lowered himself next to her and wrapped his arm around her shoulders – such a familiar gesture, it felt like he’s been doing it for the past two thousand years. She rested her head in his chest, listening to his breathing and feeling the beating of his heart. They sat in silence, both exhausted but unwilling to part for what would seem forever.

She was looking into the distance blindly, too full of aftersounds of the night to notice anything around her, so deep in thought, she barely registered her body drifting away.

“Hey,” Bobby’s voice snapped her out of her slumber. “Ah think ye dozit aff a little,” he stroked her cheek gently, and she leaned into his touch unconsciously. “Ye shoud get some sleep, yer een are barely open.”

The girl nodded but did not attempt to move.

“Well?” she heard the smile in his voice as his grip tightened a little – he didn’t want to let her go just as much as she didn’t want to leave.

“I’m already going,” she wiggled her toes. “See, that’s me walking up the stairs.”

Bobby laughed softly and pressed a quick kiss to the top of the girl’s head.

“Very graceful.”

She sat straighter and rolled her eyes. “That’s rich, coming from someone who almost knocked me off my feet because the entire alley wasn’t enough for him.”

“Oi!” Bobby gasped in mock offense. “Not my fault you weren’t alert of your surroundings!”

“That’s for driving, you silly Scot,” she looked up and the rest of her words got stuck in her throat.

She knew exactly what she saw in his eyes at that moment but was too scared to even think those words. His breath stuttered when their gazes met, and the man swallowed hard, his eyes flicker to her lips for a split of a moment before returning to hers. Her heart was pounding out of her chest, so hard and fast as if trying to break free from the ribcage, and her palms suddenly went ice-cold, as if all the blood in her body went straight into her crazy heart.

She didn’t know with what powers she managed not to drop her gaze to his mouth, focusing only on the two dark voids that his eyes became. In the dim moonlight, filled with roaring emotions, they turned almost black, so deep and alluring, she could’ve fallen into them and lost her entirely.

“I-I should go,” she whispered hoarsely, her mouth sore and dry.

“Ay,” Bobby nodded jerkily. “Ye should.”

Neither of them moved, hypnotized by each other. His hand was still resting on her shoulder, and even through the fabric of his jacket, she could feel how burning hot his skin was as if he was in a fever. Slowly, she moved her hand to his face and traced the contours of his jawline, her fingertips barely touching the man.

He let a sigh escape his mouth and pressed into her touch leaning into her hand like a big cat. She moved her hand to caress his cheekbone and temples, and his eyes fell shut. He looked so vulnerable, so exposed and defenseless, her heart stopped beating. The only thing she wanted at that moment was to just let her lips cover his and to kiss him until the sunrise.

And it was physically painful to deprive herself of the only thing she wanted – needed.

She swallowed hard and leaned in to press her lips to his forehead hoping it would help to calm down the blood rushing in her veins. They froze that way, catching their hasting breaths until Belle finally found the strengths to move away and slowly rise to her feet. She left him there, standing on the stairs of her house, and flew up and slammed her apartment door shut not worrying about waking up her neighbors.

Her heart was hammering painfully in her chest, and she had to squeeze her hand on her chest, panting. If she hadn’t left him like that, she would’ve done something that she would never forgive herself for – and would never forgive him, too.

Belle never noticed the tears running down her cheeks at the bright memory flashing before her eyes. She whipped them away and washed her face again, letting the cold water erase any trails of sadness. Everything was so intense, the joy felt like ecstasy and sadness felt like misery, as if someone turned the volume to the max and she was now feeling everything at ten-tenths.

She put some moisturizer on and walked out of the bathroom throwing a glance at the clock. Bobby called in the morning asking to meet him at the port in Piraeus Harbor, and just the sound of his voice managed to cast away her sleep-deprived gloom. What did he care about sleep if she got more time to spend with him?

The girl stared at the hangers in the wardrobe in hesitation. What if he found it annoying that she was only wearing long dresses that left almost everything to the imagination? What if he thought she was too old-fashioned? What if he only complimented her out of graciousness but hated the flowy fabrics and soft pastel colors?

Her phone beeped somewhere in the bedroom snapping her out of her thoughts, and she grabbed one of the dresses and a pair of espadrille wedges and went back into the room to see the icon of her group chat with Lottie and Priya now red.

 _Priya:_ Hey, babe.

 _Belle:_ Hey guys, what’s up?

 _Lottie:_ Haven’t heard from you in days.

 _Belle:_ Yeah, sorry, been busy.

 _Priya:_ You literally live at the resort, what you’ve been so busy with you never returned my call?

 _Belle:_ Lucas’s out of town. I’ve been writing a lot. And I had to deal with the carpenter, we’re getting a new dining table, it’s been a pain.

 _Lottie:_ Oh, babe. You should’ve come here while your douche is out of town.

 _Belle:_ Lo…

 _Lottie:_ 🙄🙄

 _Priya_ : Sorry, got to run, my boss is on a verge of a breakdown, the Fashion Week isn’t until February, but he’s already worked himself up to a little stroke. Love you both… I’ll call you later, B!

 _Lottie:_ So, any plans for today?

Belle looked at the clock again and bit her lip: she was running late. Lottie always could tell when the other blonde was lying but if Belle told her the truth… no, it wasn’t an option.

 _Belle:_ I’m running late for a meeting. I’ll call you when I’m in a taxi.

She hastily got dressed and sprayed herself with one of the perfumes that were sitting on her vanity. The mirror in the corridor caught a glimpse of her sparkling eyes as she hurried out of the door, her heart thumping fast in her chest. She was going to see Bobby in just half an hour, and everything inside of her was singing with joy and excitement.

She walked towards the taxi park just a couple of blocks from her house and asked the driver to take her to the port before putting her earphones in and dialing Lottie.

“Hey,” the other blonde turned the video on. “Okay, you look beautiful as always, now switch to the back camera and show me the paradise you live in.”

Belle laughed softly, obliging. “How are you, Lottie?”

“You know, the usual stuff,” Lottie shrugged, bringing the phone closer to her face to enjoy the scenery. “The store is doing great, we just got this amazing Larimar crystal from the Dominican Republic, it’s huge and gorgeous and I’m gonna post on the store insta tonight!”

Belle kept listening to her friend, nodding and smiling, but the closer she got to the port, the less she was able to get focused on what Lottie was saying. The thought of being only mere seconds away from seeing the Scot made her heart start to beat faster.

“…even listening?”

The last words snapped the girl back into reality, and she frowned with guilt. “Sorry, Lo, I’m just a bit off today.”

“Yeah, I’d noticed,” the other girl huffed. “You’re always like that when he leaves, like a lost puppy… though, you seem to be different now. Still destructed but differently… Is something going on?”

Belle felt her blood rushing to her face and took a deep breath before responding.

“Everything is okay… I’ll tell you later, but now, I’ve got to go.”

“Belle!”

“Bye, love you.”

She ended the call and shoved the phone into her purse, the earphones followed. She knew her friends weren’t Lucas’ biggest fans, but she still wasn’t ready to talk about Bobby to anyone. She didn’t even know herself what her relationship with the Scot was, how could she even start explaining it to somebody else?

When the car stopped by the piers, she climbed out and looked around trying to remember the gate Bobby mentioned. She’s been here many times before, she and Lucas usually took the express ferry to one of the islands whenever he had a free weekend. They’d go to that quiet hotel in Santorini and spend time in the open-ledge pool, staring down at the island below and the waters surrounding it… She had to physically push any thoughts of Lucas aside. She’d spent enough time thinking about it already, and she made her decision, and she was going to go through with it.

Two strong, familiar hands wrapped around her waist as she stopped near the gate, looking for her date.

“Hey, bonnie,” Bobby’s voice sounded from behind her, and the warmth of his body put her at ease the same moment.

“Are we going on a cruise?” she wriggled in his arms to face the man whose smile made her insides flutter with dozens of colorful butterflies. 

“Not exactly,” his eyes sparkled mischievously. “We're gang on a little vacay.”

She spotted a guitar case behind his back and raised an eyebrow slightly: “A vacation?”

“Aye,” he nodded. “Two days. Ye, me, and Mykonos.”

“Mykonos?”

“Dinnae tell me ye dinnae like the island livin,” Bobby’s face turned into concern expression. “Or… ye dinnae wanna gae wi me?”

She kept quiet for a moment, trying to gather her thoughts. More than anything she wanted to spend two days with Bobby in a place far away from the city that was her constant reminder of someone else… But what would it mean, to stay in the same hotel room with him? What would it mean to fall asleep next to each other?

“A'v bookit a two-bedroom suite,” the Scot added quietly averting his eyes looking at his fingernails with newfound interest, and a small crack ran through the girl’s heart at how suddenly insecure and vulnerable he became.

She ran her fingers down his arm and took hold of his hand, bringing it up and pressing it to her chest. “I really want to go with you, Bobby, I don’t mind where. I wanna go anywhere… everywhere with you.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys 💋  
> I’m so grateful for everyone who’s been following this story for the last few weeks! We’re going on a short break and will be back the first week of December. 
> 
> I know it’s five!! weeks BUT  
> \- I might do a surprise update to help you and MYSELF with withdrawals 😆  
> \- I’ll be finally updating Down the Rabbit Hole, Fighting isn’t Enough and Drown the Night meanwhile, so check out those ♥️
> 
> Thank you everyone so so much!
> 
> Xx  
> Kat
> 
> If you like this story, leave kudos and comments, it means the world ♥️
> 
> Playlist: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/17yEUs6zZmj6jj1ppC351S?si=pCHbU8WsSReZCqtowGCURQ


	8. Mystery of Love.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We're back, baby❣️  
> I'm so excited to share more of this story, and I hope you guys will love it just as much as I like it ♥️

“Careful,” Bobby offered Belle his hand as she stepped down from the ferry, her body still caught in the rhythm of waves after five hours spent on the boat.

Her feet touched the solid ground of the New Port, and the girl took a deep breath, letting the air fill her lungs up. She always had that wanderlust, the desire to see, feel, new places that she couldn’t put into words, but seemed to be able to share with Bobby who was just as spellbound as herself.

“A think thare should be a tazi park somewhere around,” the Scot turned to Belle.

A gust of warm, salty breeze picked up and blew the girl's hair, creating a halo around her face, and he just stood there for a moment unable to take his eyes off her, forgetting that there were people behind them.

“Den mas gamas?!” an angry voice and then a shove on his shoulder brought Bobby back into the moment, and he jumped aside, pulling Belle.

The girl chuckled, and he squinted a little. “Did he just tell me tae gae fuck myself?”

“Oh, I thought you don’t speak Greek,” she laughed at his dumbfounded expression, and Bobby rolled his eyes. “I might teach you a few catchphrases… after I teach you some proper English.”

“Har-har,” the Scot shook his head. “Funny lassie.”

“You know, so people would actually understand you,” she was openly laughing, and her soft, melodic laughter filling the air around them, catching everyone’s attention.

In her long sundress, with tangled beach curls of blonde hair and bare face, she looked like some kind of heavenly creature, not just a human, and it seemed that everyone could see it, feel it in the way she moved as if dancing, and in the way she spoke, so soft and gentle… In the middle of the port hustle, among heavy ships and sweating people, she looked like a delicate flower blooming amid concrete jungles.

Bobby pointed towards the car park, and the slowly walked there, looking around like two kids in the candy store.

Everything seemed so new to her, Belle could barely hold the excitement rushing through her body. She wanted to feel everything at once, experience the new place in one never-ending moment as they walked towards the line of cars.

“These are no taxis,” Bobby frowned.

“Nope,” Belle shook her head. “Welcome to the Mediterranean.”

“Rocco says they use donkeys instead o taxis,” the Scot glanced at her. “A thought he was lying but…”

“That’s Mykonos” the girl pointed towards the white cabriolet. “Many houses are located up in the hills and the roads are so narrow and winding, it’s the only way to get there… Hold up.”

Bobby watched her as she spoke to the guy in the booth, and a few moments later she returned with the car keys in her hand. “Hop in.”

He threw his guitar on the backseat and took the front passenger seat while the girl adjusted her seat and the mirrors. Something has changed in her posture, just a little, but Bobby still noticed. It seemed that being the one at the wheel gave her confidence, some kind of feeling of being in charge that she visibly cherished.

“What?” she asked starting the engine. Her eyes fell on his hand searching for the seatbelt, and the girl added quietly: “Sissy.”

“Whit?”

“What?” she batted eyelashes at him innocently. “Music?”

Bobby reached for the car stereo the same moment she did, and their fingers met. He caught the girl’s hand in his and brought it to his lips to press a gentle kiss to her knuckles before releasing it.

“You can connect your phone to it,” she smiled softly driving onto some kind of a highway. “My turn to judge your music tastes.”

“Oi!!’ Bobby pressed his hand to his heart theatrically. “Please, show mercy on this poor lad!”

Belle nudged him on a shoulder and tucked one leg under the other, and the hem of her dress pulled up baring the soft, sun-kissed skin. The soft, upbeat melody filled the air around them and moved further picked up by the wind.

“I would never color you as someone who listens to such tunes,” the girl turned her head to look at the man.

He blushed slightly under her gaze. “Remember that song ye sent me the night before? A listened tae it and then ma app started playing similar tracks and… well, A ended up making a playlist for this trip.”

“So, you’re basically saying that you knew I’ll go with you?” she raised an eyebrow.

“Ye says A could take ye anywhere,” Bobby said in a suddenly serious tone of voice studying the girl's face for signs of annoyance and sighed with relief finding only content and amusement there. “So, A decided tae take ye up on yer offer.”

“You silly Scot,” she breathed out, sliding her fingers between his and resting their hands on his thigh.

_“… Love is when you meet someone who tells you something about you Love is when my heart is beating and is running after you…”_

She never knew she was capable of trusting a stranger. Trusting to the point of following him blindly wherever he was willing to take her, trusting with not just her life, but with her heart, too. Those little bees of anxious thoughts disappeared the second she felt his presence, full of warm familiarity that she couldn’t explain.

She’s known him for less than a week but somehow it felt as if she’s known him for years… centuries. As if she’s known him before she was even born, before this life, before either of them existed.

Bobby watched the girl’s face as she listened to the song, and his heart started beating faster.

_“… I hear voices and they tell me without you I'm incomplete If you hear me, I'll be waiting on your street…”_

He knew it was her since the moment he saw her walking down the alley, in her sundress, with her thoughts far away. Everything about her seemed so familiar, so close as if it wasn’t the first time that he saw her as if they’ve spent their lives together as if she was a part of himself.

A gust of wind blew her hair throwing a strand across the girl’s face, and Bobby reached to gently tuck it behind her ear. She suddenly swerved the car a little, and he lost his balance falling into her lap. It took him a moment to realize his head and shoulders were now resting on her thighs, and when the realization hit him, Bobby felt his face flushing red with embarrassment.

“Comfy down there?” Belle wondered innocently, raising her eyebrow slightly.

He caught the playful twinkle in her eyes and grinned, nuzzling into her. “Aye, very much.”

She laughed and snaked her hand into his hair. “At least, tell me where to drive, boldface.”

Bobby reached for his phone and found the reservation. “Thare.”

She drove the car, and he just stared up into the sky, his gaze constantly wandering to her hypnotic face, and fragile collarbones and soft, graceful arms and hands. Keeping one hand on the wheel, she

let the other play with his hair, filling his stomach with butterflies every time her fingers caressed the skin of his neck.

It was paradise, being so close to her - and torture, not being close enough.

Bobby finally dragged himself off the girl’s lap and looked around. They entered the town and were now moving down the busy, narrow marble streets and whitewashed houses with colorful doors and shutters surrounded by blooming bougainvillea trees covered in purple flowers.

“It feels like the middle o summer,” the Scot noted, looking around.

They drove through the town until reached the outskirts on the opposite side and started moving slowly up the hill.

Belle’s heart started beating faster and faster the closer they got to the destination point, all the thoughts swarming in her head. What were they doing? Staying at the hotel, together? Spending time alone with each other, with no one else around?

She glanced at the man and pushed the thought aside, feeling the warmth spread in her chest, washing over her body in calm waves. She was where she was supposed to be, with the person who showed her the parts of her she never knew existed, someone who made her want more of life, made her want everything. Someone so familiar, he seemed to know her better than she knew herself, someone, who just made her complete.

She gave the car keys to the valet and followed Bobby inside. It was one of those hotels Lucas usually avoided, trendy and colorful, and full of loud people.

“Thare's an infinity pool, a bar an a restaurant ower thare,” Bobby waived his hand aimlessly reading through the welcome brochure while they waited for the clerk to check them in.

Belle leaned over his shoulder to look at the colorful book. “I think I’ve seen this place on Instagram, more than once.”

“Hou dae ye think A found it?” the Scot grinned.

“Welcome and have a nice stay,” the clerk gave them the key-cards.

“You don’t mind all the people?” Belle wondered as they made their way upstairs.

“Na,” Bobby opened the door on the third level and let the girl in first. “Why would A?”

She just shrugged, not wanting to discuss the way her boyfriend always needed to escape the crowd. She walked through the suite made in white and bright-purple colors. It was a two-bedroom,

and a part of her sighed in relief but another… another part of her wished for Bobby to ask her to stay in his room when the night falls.

He threw his guitar on the bed carelessly and stepped onto the decking outside wrapping his arms around Belle’s waist and resting his chin on her shoulder. Just below them, a dozen people were sunbathing on the daybeds surrounded by the waters of an infinity pool, laughing, and talking loudly.

The sunlight reflected from the water making the air almost sparkle.

“Up for a swim?” Bobby asked the girl nodding towards a small private pool that seemed to flow straight into the sea that was stretched as far as the eye could reach.

She studied him for a moment, her eyes turning a shade deeper. Without a word, she dropped her purse on the decking and kicked her shoes off. Keeping their eye contact, she reached to the side of her dress to unzip it and then slowly pulled the straps down her shoulders and let the fabric slip to her feet.

Bobby’s mouth went dry as he watched her undress. There wasn’t anything vulgar or ostentatiously seductive in her movements, but his pulse went crazy the moment her dress fell on the decking. She cocked her head ever so slightly studying his reaction and finding so much adoration she could bathe in it.

“Well?” she arched an eyebrow at him. “Strip down, Robert.”

Without waiting for him, she turned on her heels and her hair cascaded down her back, shimmering in the light. With her back turned to him, she gathered her curls in a messy bun on top of her head and turned back to look at the man over her shoulder.

“You’re coming?”

She was a perfection that he never thought existed. The curves of her body made his head spin but there was something else, something more, that made his heart beat like a clapper. She didn’t even have to try, everything about her was captivating without any effort on her part. It was enough for her to just be, and he felt as if he’s been taken to heaven.

Bobby shook himself into action, kicking his sneakers off the same time he pulled off his shirt, and he felt her lingering glance on his skin. She took him in openly, not even trying to hide her hitched breath, and it sent jolts of electricity down Scot’s spine and made his skin prickle with goosebumps.

“Enjoying the view?” he managed to joke unzipping his jeans.

“Very much so.”

Her voice now sounded just like last night when she almost kissed him, and Bobby’s blood rushed to his face. It was unbearable hard not to let his feelings overtake, and he dived deep into the pool trying to calm down.

She had a boyfriend.

She would never do anything to betray his trust, Bobby knew and accepted it, but it was getting harder with each passing second, not to kiss her, not to touch her the way he needed. But her loyalty was a part of her, something that made her Belle, and he loved it too, even though it was slowly driving him insane, his inability to have her.

The girl slowly swam across the pool and rested her arms on the ledge, looking down at the people below them.

“I like being close to them,” she said quietly. “It makes me feel like I am a part of something… even if I’m not.”

Belle shook her head and smiled. “So, does this trip include food? I can’t wait to mess up with your order.”

Bobby watched the girl as she pulled herself out of the pool, water running down her body, and a sudden feeling of belongingness washed over him. All this time he’s been so focused on his feelings for her and for the first time he felt everything back. He wasn’t sure how or when, but something inside of her has changed. She no longer saw him as just a stranger that she for some reason let into her life for a few days.

He couldn’t explain what made him feel the way he felt at that moment – maybe, it was the way she undressed before him, without hesitation or a flick of embarrassment. Or maybe, it was the way she trusted him enough to be vulnerable around him… or maybe, it was something entirely else, something neither of them even knew was there, something that tied him to her stronger than any rope could’ve.

Her decision didn’t matter anymore. Whatever she was going to tell him when their ten days will be over, nothing could ever change that from that moment, he belonged to her only.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you like this story, leave kudos and comments, it means the world ♥️
> 
> Playlist: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/17yEUs6zZmj6jj1ppC351S?si=pCHbU8WsSReZCqtowGCURQ


	9. Let Me Love You.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you thought I’ll have an opportunity to blabber about Greek mythology and won’t use it, you don’t know me at all 😆

“You should try on this hat, Bobby,” Belle slapped a fur flaphat on the man’s head, laughing, and he caught her in his arms, spinning around, unable to contain all the love that was bursting out of him.

She was so lively and bright that the colorful, busy streets of Mykonos town seemed like a faded background in an old movie. She moved through the narrow alleys and down the old, broken bricks of stairs, her hair bouncing with each step, her dress flowing down her body, hugging her curves, and Bobby kept expecting to see the cameras as he felt almost like in one of those music videos that Rocco’s ex loved so much.

Loud, vibrant streets, little stores, blooming trees, and smiling people – all of it felt almost unreal, so perfect that Bobby couldn’t believe it was even possible, to be _that_ happy, to feel so much happiness that the air around him seemed to be filled with it.

He pulled the hat off his head and flopped back onto the mannequin, tugging on Belle’s hand to move further down the central street, jammed with small boutiques and cafés drowning in the sea of blooming trees and vines.

“Look ‘ere,” Bobby pointed towards a statue. “Whit does it say?”

Belle glanced at the engravement. “It’s a statue of Apollo,” she moved her gaze to the marble face of the figure. “Ancient Greeks believed he was the god of the Sun who was born on a small island nearby,” the girl continued stepping closer to the marble god and gently touching the cold skin of his cheek. “He is the embodiment of _kalokagathia,_ the perfect combination of physical and inner beauty. The harmony of body and mind.”

She went quiet for a long moment, her teeth grazing her bottom lip as her thoughts took over. Bobby watched the girl almost holding his breath, starstruck with awe, not wanting to break the silence that fell between them that felt more meaningful than any words, and he cherished every second of the intimacy it brought upon them.

Belle ran her fingers through her curls and finally continued, with a soft, thoughtful smile, “He was always thought to be the most handsome of gods… He reminds me of you,” she added quietly, dragging her gaze from the statue to the man next to her.

She turned to stand face to face with Bobby, tracing her hand from his eyebrows down the bridge of his nose and across the jawline. He froze under her touch, barely breathing, his eyes locked with hers. Her fingertips moved down his neck, making his skin prickle with goosebumps, and then to his shoulder and down his arm until finally reached his hand. The girl’s fingers slipped through his, and Bobby gave them a gentle squeeze.

“You know,” she added slowly, her gaze wandering back to the sculpture. “He wasn’t happy in love. Once, he fell in love with a mortal woman who fell for somebody else. A white crow told him about that, and he burned its feathers and he asked one of the goddesses to kill the woman. Another love, beautiful Hyacinthus, who loved Apollo deeply, died because another god wanted him for himself and got so jealous, he decided to murder the young man. Apollo couldn’t allow Hades, the king of the underworld, take all of his beloved, and made a flower out of Hyacinthus’ blood so a part of him stayed on the earth forever.”

Again, she stopped talking, almost embarrassed by the way she let herself speak so much.

“That was a very unnecessary Greek mythology lecture,” the girl smiled apologetically.

Bobby’s hands flew up to cup her face, his heart crying inside of his chest. “No,” he whispered hastily, pressing his lips to her forehead, feeling physical pain from the impossibility of kissing her lips. “It wis beautiful, an A wish ye could speak forever.”

The smile lit up her entire face, sparkling in her eyes and coloring her cheeks with a soft blush of gratitude.

“Good,” she nodded. “Cause I can’t seem to shut up.”

Bobby threw his arms over her shoulders, and they moved further down the street, maneuvering between the groups of tourists, feeling themselves connected to this small, cheerful town in a way neither of them could explain.

“A keep seeing this,” Bobby pointed at one of the white walls with an endless linear pattern drawn in bright-blue paint. “Whit does it mean?”

“Meander,” she ran her fingers over the lines. “It’s a symbol of infinity and unity of everything.”

Bobby stepped closer to the wall and pressed his hand into the painting next to Belle’s. 

“This line never breaks from the beginning to the end; it stays eternally unbroken.”

He followed the pattern with the tips of his fingers, thinking about how this simple drawing was just like his love for the blue-eyed girl. He only met her about a week ago, but everything inside of him somehow knew it was true. No matter how much time will pass, no matter how hard it will be, he will always love her.

Bobby’s hand moved to take hold of Belle’s, making her turn to face him.

“A can see why you love this kintra,” he said, stroking a loose strand of hair out of her face. “Ye're like that goddess born from the sea.”

Her melodic laughter filled the air, making people around look their way.

“Impressive scholastic attainments.”

Bobby rolled his eyes, but his mouth was stretched into a wide grin. “A’m full of surprises.”

“You sure are,” she smiled back at him, squeezing his hand.

“Syngnómi,” someone’s voice startled them both.

A man in his forties was standing just a few steps away from them, a large professional camera hanging from his neck. He looked at the couple and handed Bobby his business card. “Would you mind if I took a picture of you two?”

The Scot gave Belle a questioning look and she just shrugged.

“Sigouri,” she smiled at the photographer. “Giati ochi?”

Bobby wrapped his arms around her waist, a mischievous glint in his eyes. “A could’ve use this as an excuse tae kiss ye,” he noted and suddenly lifted her up and spun on his heels, making the girl squeal with excitement.

He spun around himself, and she threw her hands up as if on a rollercoaster ride, letting the air pick her long curls up. She was laughing, and Bobby’s heart filled with pure joy that he couldn’t contain. He didn’t care someone was taking pictures of them, didn’t care strangers were staring – the only thing that existed at that moment were two forget-me-not eyes that stared back at him when he finally stopped and just stood there, holding her in his arms.

There was nothing else but the way she looked at him and the way her breath got caught in her mouth when she touched his face with the slightly trembling fingers, running her fingertips across the freckles on his cheekbones adoringly. Her gentle touch moved down to caress his jawline, and her thumb brushed accidentally across his bottom lip, making Bobby’s breath quicken.

Her face flushed red.

“Um, I think we should get moving,” she said quietly, and he put her back down, his pulse still racing and the sensation of her touch lingering on his skin.

Before she could’ve moved, he caught her hand and brought it to his lips, planting a gentle kiss to her knuckles, breathing in the sweet scent of cotton candy clouds and delicate petals.

“What?” Belle asked after a few moments that he just kept grazing her with his gaze.

“Nothing,” Bobby let go of her hand just to wrap his arm around her shoulders. “Ye’r just so bonnie, it’s impossible not tae stare at ye.”

She chuckled. “We should get you a blindfold then,” she smirked devilishly. “You know, so you don’t spend the night watching me sleep like a creep.”

He spluttered, shaking his head in disapproval but his heart went into race at the thought of spending a night in the same room with the girl.

She had a boyfriend, and he knew it. She couldn’t be with him, and he understood it. But he wanted her, all of her, just to himself, then and there, he wanted to have what that other guy had, her loyalty, her kisses, her devotion… her love. He wanted to feel her love more than he ever wanted anything in his life.

They walked through the town, talking, and laughing and holding hands, and Bobby couldn’t remember the times before her, before she swooped into his life and changed it, coloring it all shades of the rainbow. He couldn’t remember what it was like, not to wake up thinking of her and not to go to bed dreaming of the moment he sees her again. There wasn’t ever anything as important as her smile that lit up the space around her. There wasn’t anything but her, and he wished it was the same for Belle, that he was the most important thing in her life.

They walked until the sky turned blue to blush, the last ray of sun coloring the air a warm shade of orange.

“Look,” Bobby pointed towards the colorful tents. “It looks like one o thae street fairs that A used tae gae tae wi ma dad whan A wis a kid.”

“There’s always something like that going on in Little Italy,” Belle followed his gaze. “Or Coney Island. I don’t remember the last time I took a ride on a Ferris wheel.”

“Whit are we waiting for, then?”

Bobby grabbed her hand and pulled through the tents and groups of people until they reached the end of a small fair. He pushed the money to the seat attendant, and the man helped them to arrange themselves and started the ride.

The attraction was tiny in comparison to the one she used to ride when she was younger, but it didn’t matter. Bobby was staring around, taking in the scenery, and she was looking at him, and her view was breathtaking. His skin was glowing under the setting sun, and his amber eyes were filled with excitement and warmth that she could feel physically on her skin when he slowly tilted his head and looked at her.

He drowned in her sparkling eyes that now reflected the skies, and face was the only thing he could see, suddenly not caring anymore about the view spreading below them.

“Ye’re so beautiful,” his breath got caught in his throat Bobby he slowly ran his fingers down the girl’s cheek. “Are ye real? If not, if A’m dreaming… don’t wake me up.”

Her heart was pounding out of her chest when she gently pressed her fingers to his face, mirroring his movements.

“Don’t wake me up just yet,” she echoed, caressing his soft skin, feeling almost physical pain from the inability to kiss him.

“Don’t wake me up, ever,” Bobby couldn’t bring himself to close his eyes for even a second, as if terrified that she might just disappear if he did.

He couldn’t see anything but her, nothing else existed. The sweet and delicate scent of her skin, the glow of her eyes, the way her curls blew under the soft, evening breeze – all his senses belonged to her, and her only. He wished only for one thing, for her to let him love her. He might’ve not been the best suit for her, not the perfect man that every girl dreams of, but he just knew, he was perfect for her, just like she was perfect for him.

 _Let me love you,_ he asked with his eyes.

How was it even possible? She met him less than a week ago, and there was no one in the world that she thought about half as much as about this man. Whenever he was around, he took up all the space around her, he was everything she could see, smell, touch, feel – and when he wasn’t, he was everything she could think about.

Looking at him made her eyes water, he was so beautiful, it was almost blinding, and it terrified her. She was terrified of her own feelings for a stranger, for someone who she’d known for a few days but felt like it’s been centuries. She was terrified with the way her heart followed him everywhere he went, and her eyes found him in the crowd instinctively.

Was that feeling even real? Was that feeling going to last more than those ten days that she promised him? Or was it going to disappear the moment he was no longer around? Every time she asked herself that, her heart squeezed with fear, and she couldn’t tell if she was more afraid that feeling would stop – or that she will feel that way forever.

They never noticed how the sun rolled over the horizon with the last goodbye flash of bright red, and the city lit up with thousands of glimmering lights. A breeze of cool air picked up the skirt of Belle’s dress and made the skin of her legs and arms prickle with goosebumps. Bobby pulled her closer and wrapped his arms around her, sharing his warmth.

She kept losing track of time with him, no matter how many hours they spent together, it was never enough, she always craved more.

“We should head back down,” Bobby whispered with a note of disappointment. He wished they could just stay there, at the top of the wheel, alone, forever.

He bent over the handrail, almost falling out of the seat, and waved at the seat attendant to lower them.

“Bobby!” Belle grabbed his waist hastily, her heart stopping in her chest. “Careful, you…”

She bit her lip, her fingers clenched on his sides, and Bobby caught the terrified look on her face.

“A’m sorry,” he stroked her cheek gently. “A’m okay, see?”

“Well, I’m glad you’re not dead,” she finally managed to regain her control. “Next time you’re being an idiot, I’ll just finish the deed myself.”

He laughed, hiding his face in the crook of her neck, his lips brushing her skin lightly. His heart was singing at the way she reacted to a flicker of danger. She cared. He knew it before, but now he had such a vivid display of her feelings.

Bobby helped her off the carousel, and they walked back through the fair. He wished for the moment to stop, for more time with her… for the eternity with her.

“Hey,” he stopped in the middle of a busy street filled with the scents of cooking food and hummer of voices mixed with music.

Belle stood in front of him, her body lit up with the streetlights, and her eyes sparkling with the feelings rushing through her body. Bobby’s heart fluttered inside his chest when he took a step closer, cupping her face with the palms of his hands.

“A love ye.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Syngnómi- excuse me  
> Sigouri - sure  
> Giati ochi - why not  
> _______________________________  
> If you like this story, leave kudos and comments, it means the world ♥️
> 
> Playlist: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/17yEUs6zZmj6jj1ppC351S?si=pCHbU8WsSReZCqtowGCURQ


	10. Can’t Help Falling in Love.

A whirlwind of scents, sounds, and lights burst through the half-open deck door, pulling Bobby out of sleep. He rubbed his eyes sleepily and pulled the blanket over his head, trying to catch the last glimpses of a dream where he and Belle were in his kitchen back in Glasgow. He heard someone’s chuckle, and the memories of the previous day came crushing.

He told her he loved her, for the first time using those three words. Just two pronouns and one verb, and it seemed like a heavy weight was lifted off his shoulder, as he was Atlas, and those words were the whole planet. She took them calmly, looking deep into his eyes, and then took his hand and kissed it gently.

He didn’t scare her off, and it was all he could’ve asked for.

And then, they’ve spent the night walking around the island, stopping to buy some food or take pictures, always on Bobby’s phone. She was taken, he had to remind himself of that. But how easily it was to forget about it when she smiled at him like _that_ and her face was so close, she could count the freckles on his face.

“Good morning, Senior Starfish,” Belle’s voice broke through the blanket, and Bobby dived out from under it, barely holding a laugh.

“Senior Starfish?” he raised an eyebrow, and the girl bit on her lip not to crack.

“Yep,” she nodded finally. “That’s what I’m calling you from now on.”

She stretched out, and the sheet moved down her body, revealing a line of skin between the hem of Bobby’s shirt and pajama shorts that she got at the hotel’s shop. She caught his glance, and Bobby’s face flushed bright pink at the way she kept his gaze for a long moment before rolling over to her side, snuggling closer to him.

“Mornin,” he whispered softly, stroking her hair.

She was now even more beautiful than usual. With the glimpses of dreams in her blue eyes and her curls slightly tangled, she reminded him of those paintings he saw at the museum the other night, fairy-light and ethereal.

He still couldn’t believe he found her. If he didn’t get lost, if he looked down at the map for longer, if he turned the other way… He could’ve missed her. He could’ve lost her before he even found her, and just the mere thought of that was terrifying.

He couldn’t imagine his life without her now, couldn’t even allow himself to think about life without her. She belonged to him; he just knew. He was made to be with her. She was the other half of his soul that’s been missing all this time, now he knew it. All Rocco’s stories finally made sense, he finally understood what his best friend knew the entire time. He was born incomplete, and finally, he met a part of himself… someone who was just as much Bobby as he was.

He couldn’t explain it even to himself, Rocco was the only one who could understand his muddled rambling, but it didn’t matter. It didn’t matter that he didn’t know how it worked, it was enough for him that he felt as if floating in the air all the time. He felt like he was finally alive as if he found his purpose.

This miracle love was his confusion and his confession, it was his question and conclusion, everything he ever needed and what he never dreamed of having. And somehow, he had her. She was right there, lying next to him, her fingers running gently up and down his arm.

When they finally got back to their room, the first sprays of sunrise colored the sky pink, but it was still dark inside. She never allowed him to stay in another room, just pulled him towards the bed, unzipping her dress on her way. He was too scared to break the silence and just slipped out of his clothes, too. He could only see the contours of her silhouette as she reached her had to a stack of clothes sitting on the chair.

He could barely breathe as they both settled under the sheets and the sweet scent of her body enveloped him into a soft embrace. She nuzzled into his neck and whispered before falling asleep: “You smell so familiar, Bobby… like home.”

He thought he wouldn’t be able to fall asleep at all but the moment her breathing steadied, his eyes fell shut, too.

“Bobby,” Belle’s voice snapped him out of his thoughts, and he met her curious stare.

“Yeah?”

“I asked if you were hungry,” she chuckled. “I can’t decide between room service and going back to town, I saw a lovely little bakery there.”

“Both,” Bobby grinned. “An after, we’re gaun'ae the beach, bikini recommended but not required.”

He gave her a mischievous wink and rolled out of the bed to call the restaurant, leaving the girl alone in the room. She dragged her gaze from the space where he just was and turned her head to look out of the window. The sun was almost all the way up, not even a cloud on the blue sky. She could hear the splashes in the common pool and the loud voice speaking in French and English and let herself listen for a few moments.

She regretted nothing. She should’ve but she couldn’t. She felt too much happiness to let herself even think of the moment when it all will be over.

It was almost as if her entire body was filled with part balloons, all the time. She was just brushing her teeth standing under the cool streams of water in the shower, but it felt as if she found her own Shambhala. There was no other place in the world where she would rather be. She was happy, right there and then, with only a bathroom door standing between her and the man…

Belle wrapped a towel around herself and grabbed another one to dry her hair with, not allowing her thoughts to take her too far. Breakfast was already served on the decking, and Bobby was there, sitting his back to the window. She threw the towel away and picked a paperback with the clothes they got at the hotel store and pulled a white one-piece bathing suit and a pair of denim shorts on, ignoring the urge to find a mirror.

He said she looked beautiful no matter what she was wearing.

“Wow,” Bobby whistled as she slid the glass door open and stepped out onto the decking. “Who turned the heat up?”

She rolled her eyes and lowered herself onto the seat across the small serving tray from him.

“Chill, it’s just a pair of crappy shorts.”

“It wasn’t the shorts A complimented,” his eyes sparkled, and the girl felt her face flush.

She couldn’t deny the way she was attracted to him, as if pulled by invisible strings. Her body wanted to be as close to him as possible, and she had to watch her every movement not to cross the line even when it was the last thing she wanted.

They finished their food in silence disturbed only by accidental scraping of cutlery and the voices of people in the pool, and Bobby grabbed the case with his guitar before they left the hotel suite. He wanted to ask what she’s been thinking about during their late breakfast but couldn’t bring himself to, afraid he won’t like the answer.

There wasn’t any other time in his life when he was as happy, and he wasn’t going to let fears and doubts spoil their time together. No matter what happens next, right there and then, he was happy, and nothing else mattered.

She drove the car confidently rounding the town, music blasting out of the car speakers. He couldn’t stop himself and pulled his phone out to film the way her hair blew, and her hand was lay on the steering wheel lightly, barely touching it. As usual, one of her legs was tucked under another.

“What are you doing?” she turned to him and pushed her large sunglasses down her nose to meet his eyes.

If he could only stop the time from running, if he could only just stay in that moment with her, listening to her sing to the song… If only they could just freeze in time, be immortal like those Greek gods she was so fascinated with…

She grabbed the phone from Bobby’s hand and started filming him, wishing she could keep one of their videos, vishing everything was easier… wishing her heart wouldn’t have gone against her mind the moment she saw this man…

They stopped by one of the food markets to grab some fruits and wine, and Bobby caught Belle in his arms.

“What?” she asked, spotting a mischievous grin that was playing on his lips. Without a word, he lifted her up and put her into one of the large carts.

She squealed and laughed in surprise when he sped up, pushing the cart across the small parking lot, and her face was so full of delight as if this simple, almost childish thing brought her more joy than anything else. Bobby loved her, he loved everything about her, and he loved this carefree part of her that seemed to be wishing to come out but was mostly kept undercover.

He loved bringing that side of her to the surface, loved the way her eyes shone with excitement lighting up her entire face.

“We’re going ‘ere,” Bobby shoved his phone under Belle’s face when they finally loaded the backseat of the cabriolet with bags with food, adding it to the blanket and pillows they grabbed from the hotel. “How dae ye sat ‘beach’ in Greek?”

“Paralia.”

“Yeah, whit A thought,” Bobby nodded, rolling his eyes at Belle’s unconvinced look. “Ye should teach me some Greek.”

The girl gave him innocent smile. “I probably should teach you some English first.”

“Maybe ye should,” he made his best attempt at received pronunciation. “But only if yer wearing those sexy glasses and pencil skirt.”

Belle glanced at him in amusement.

“You thought a lot about it, I see.”

They left the car at the parking on top of the rocky hill not too far from a small whitewashed church with a red roof and blue window panels and descended slowly to the now almost empty shoreline. There were other people, but the distance was enough to have some kind of privacy, and Bobby sighed happily, staring at the bright azure of the water.

Belle watched him for a moment and then spread the blanket and threw the pillows over it, preparing everything while he was lost in his thoughts. Her eyes kept wandering to him, so beautiful when he wasn’t fooling around… even _more_ beautiful than when he was fooling around. His amber eyes were glued to the almost translucent body of water and they seemed to absorb its cerulean color.

She finished setting up their little picnic and softly walked closer to the man, standing next to him, so close he could touch her if he wanted.

He felt her presence before she reached him and stepped closer immediately, wrapping his arms around her waist and resting his chin on her shoulder. Together, they stood there, looking at the little colorful fishes swimming in the shallow waters until finally, Bobby gently made Belle turn around to face him.

“Thank ye,” he whispered into space between them. “For bein here wi me.”

They sat down, and Belle looked at Bobby thoughtfully.

“Have you ever been in love?”

He looked up at the girl, surprised by her question. “Ye mean before?” he waited for her nod and continued, munching on a grape. “Na. A liked girls before but never felt anything like _this._ ”

She never felt like _that_ ever before either, even though she loved someone else. She fiddled with a plastic stem of a wine glass.

“How do you know this feeling won’t pass just as fast as it started?”

“A just know,” Bobby shrugged. “Sometimes, ye cannot _explain_ something, ye just _know_ it. And A know that ye and A, we were meant to find each other.”

He took her hand into his and kissed the tips of her suddenly cold fingers.

“And A know ye feel the same,” he said quietly. “Ye might not be ready to admit it, but ye do.”

They went silent, watching the small waves washing over the sandy shore and listening to the distant laughter of kids mixed with splashes and a simple, catchy Greek song playing from somewhere up the hill.

The time stopped. They existed in their own universe that was only for the two of them. The universe where they could just be, not thinking about anything or anyone else, the universe their hearts created.

The sun was slowly moving down the sky until touched the horizon, coloring the water all shades of pink, orange and golden, sparkling on the surface with million tiny specks that shone like gemstones, as if someone spilled over a handful of rubies, citrines, and sapphires. They watched the sunset quietly, not realizing they were the only ones left at the beach when the bell at the church up the hill rang.

It was so peaceful and quiet, the air still and filled with pre-twilight abeyance. They didn’t have much time left, their ten days coming to an end, they both knew it and neither of them was ready to think about the moment she will have to make a choice between everything she knew and loved and something that she couldn’t put into words but couldn’t imagine her existence without.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you like this story, leave kudos and comments, it means the world ♥️
> 
> Playlist: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/17yEUs6zZmj6jj1ppC351S?si=pCHbU8WsSReZCqtowGCURQ


	11. Dance Me to The End of Love.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know many of you were waiting for this moment, and it’s finally here 😈

Bobby fiddled a small velvet pouch in his fingers and carefully put it into the front pocket of his jeans, shuffling out of the way of a loud group of teenagers. He looked around, absorbing the sights of the night town, dressed in twinkling lights wrapped over the trunks of fragrant blooming trees. The night fell onto the island, turning busy streets into the dancefloor and filling the air with anticipation.

After they finally got back from the beach, Belle’s phone rang, and by the look in her eyes, he just knew it was her damn boyfriend on the line. A reckless part of him kept pushing him to do something crazy, to somehow let that guy know that he was there - but he just offered to meet the girl in town, took a quick shower, and left, hoping to find some peace of mind between the little stores and open-air restaurants.

He strolled down the crowded streets wondering to himself how it was even possible that he met her so far from home. He wasn’t supposed to be there that day and time, if it wasn’t for Rocco’s unbearable cousins, he wouldn’t come to Athens and he’d never met her.

Bobby ran his hand over his hair, trying to get rid of the thoughts. He thought about it too many times, confusing himself even more. It didn’t matter what brought him there, the only important thing was that he was lucky enough to find the part of his soul that’s been missing and now had to find a way to keep it, keep _her._

He always felt her so close even when she wasn’t around, she was there, with a tune of his favorite melody, with an echo of a laugh, with the bright rays of sun playing on his skin – she was with him, wherever he went. She was in all the songs he sang, in all poems he read, in every sleepless night when he didn’t even know what kept him awake.

She was there when he didn’t know she existed, and he couldn’t explain it even to himself – but somehow, he just knew that every time hie yet another meaningless affair came to an inevitable end, it brought him one step closer to _her_. Every time he laughed at Rocco’s pondering about Bobby’s soulmate waiting for him, every time he just shrugged when a girl he liked chose someone else, every time he dismissed his mother’s question why he never brings girls to family gatherings – it brought him where he was now, standing next to the statue of Apollo, waiting for the love of his life.

If only he knew she was real before, he would’ve found her many years ago, he would’ve walked the whole planet to spend just a few more moments with her…

He felt her presence even before his eyes caught her in the crowd, and his heart skipped a beat, and another, and one more, and then hammered against his chest as if trying to escape the cage of his ribs and rush to lie at her feet.

His breath got caught in his throat, her image almost blinding him.

Instead of one of her long, flowy sundresses, she was wearing a short sequined flapper dress that sparkled under the city lights, creating a glow around her body, making it impossible not to notice her. As if pulled by invisible strings, he took a few steps towards her, trying to cut the distance between them faster.

She approached him with a soft smile playing at the corners of her lips, and Bobby couldn’t wait any longer, needing to make sure she was real, make sure he didn’t just imagine her.

His arms wrapped around her waist, pulling the girl closer, and her eyes sparkled.

“Missed me?” she tilted her head slightly to her side.

“Ye’ve no idea,” he replied, and the tone of his voice made her skin tingle.

In this light, her eyes were the color of the clear night sky, and he found himself drowning in them, falling deeper and deeper, and he didn’t want that feeling to stop, he wanted to keep falling into her for as long as he breathed.

Belle ran her fingers across his jawline gently, losing herself under the stare of his warm amber eyes, barely resisting the urge to get closer, remove any distance that was still between them, allow herself to know how his lips would feel against hers… With each passing moment, it became harder and harder not to kiss him, not to cross this line that she drew between them.

With a small sigh of disappointment, she pulled slightly back.

“Where’d you want to go?”

 _Nowhere,_ he wanted to answer. _All I need is right here._

“A think it’s the time for me to show ye ma extraordinary dancing abilities,” Bobby looped his arm around the girl’s waist.

“You mean the abilities that got us kicked out in the middle of a dance lesson?” Belle wondered innocently, and the Scot rolled his eyes.

“That woman had no appreciation for my talents.”

“Right,” she chuckled, following him through the crowd. “I wonder if you’ve got any more talents that could get us kicked out of other places.”

Bobby suddenly tightened the grip of her waist and pulled her closer, their faces just a breath away from each other. He leaned closer and whispered into her ear, sending little goosebumps all over her skin: “Don’t ye doubt that.”

His eyes flashed at her, and a thrill of electricity sparkled between them.

They stared at each other, both taken aback and radiating excitement. Before this comment, everything seemed so high and divine, so out of this reality, so _transcendent_ … everything felt like in one of those romantic movies where the simplest thing like dust floating in the bright ray of the sun seems meaningful.

The world around them disappeared as they looked at one another, pierced with a new feeling of desire that neither of them could deny. Bobby’s hand caressed the flushed skin of the girl’s cheek, and she finally managed to take control of her stumbling emotions.

“Let’s go, you,” she tugged at his hand, smiling bashfully, caught off-guard by her own feelings.

They moved further, following the sounds of a familiar melody that was now _their_ , for both of them. There was a small crowd of tourists gathered around three men, listening to them thinking and playing guitar under the bright Greek stars. Bobby saw the way Belle’s eyes shone with excitement as her body started moving to the beat almost instinctively, and he stepped forward, asking the band to play the song again with gestures, trying not to think how ridiculous he must’ve looked.

The older man smiled at him and gave him thumbs up, giving a sign to two other guys.

“What are you…” Belle never managed to finish her sentence, pulled into the center.

“A promised ye dancing,” Bobby stood before her, his skin glowing warmly under the lights and eyes sparkling.

He extended his hand, and she took it, her heart fluttering in her chest with thousands of butterflies, and Bobby spun her around followed by an encouragement of the crowd. His strong, gentle hand came to rest on her waist for a second that he looked into her eyes, smiling, before spinning her outwards.

Remembering Rocco’s ex flamenco lessons, he released her, circling the girl to the sound of Spanish guitar and loud claps. Belle ran her hands through the long curls of her hair, straightening her back, and followed his steps, her body caught in the beat of the music. The steps were flowing between them effortlessly, as if they’ve spent half their lives dancing with each other, anticipating each other’s movements until finally, Bobby couldn’t stay away from her any longer.

He stood behind her, wrapping his arms around her waist, and tipping her slightly backwards, catching a flicker of fire in her darkened eyes.

Their bodies came closer as she spun on her heels to face him, and her hand ran over the hot skin of his chest in the slit of his half-open shirt, sending an electric rush through Bobby’s veins. His hand tangled in the hair on the back of her neck, bringing her closer, but not close enough. His heart was pounding when he found her lips a breath away from his, and it took all his will not to close the rest of the space.

Her hands were shaking with adrenaline when she ran them up Bobby’s sides, bringing him even closer, and his palm dropped to her hip, moving in rhythm with her. His hand moved lower, long, slender fingers caressing the bare skin of her leg before sliding under her knee and making her wrap her leg around his as he tipped her backwards, so deep the ends of her hair touched the ground. He hovered over her, his mouth touching the hollow of her neck, and she was sure that someone just struck a match and set them on fire.

The song has changed into a sirtaki melody, and the people around them moved to form a line, throwing curious glances at the couple.

Bobby slowly straightened them up and swallowed hard, hypnotized by the intense, blazing stare of Belle’s eyes. His heartbeat was deafening, blood rushing through his body like a tsunami. Her chest was rising and falling heavily as if she’s been running for hours, and her hands clenched onto his shoulders were so hot he could feel it even through the fabric of his shirt.

She was caught in a trap of frenzied thoughts and roaring emotions, barely able to see or hear anything but the man before her. His body emanated fire that only pushed her further out of reality, entwining with her own heat. She couldn’t tell how long they’ve been standing there, in the middle of a street, looking at each other, but with each passing second, she got more and more drawn to him, her feelings grow stronger the longer she had him in her arms.

Almost physical pain jolted through her body at impossibility to remove the rest of the space between them, and she collapsed into him, burying her face in the crook of his neck, breathing his scent in frantically.

Bobby's grasp of her body became even stronger as if he was terrified of letting her go, and his lips kissed her hair, her forehead, everything he could reach, his breath ragged and hasty, and his hand moved to cup her cheek, making the girl look up. Their eyes met, and something snapped inside of her. He knew he wasn’t supposed to, knew he should – but there was no power in his body to stop his mouth from pressing into hers in a ravenous, avaricious kiss that kicked the breath out of both of them.

She answered immediately, barely keeping her footing as her hands moved to tangle in his hair. For a moment, nothing else existed, the entire world disappeared, there were only two of them in the entire galaxy.

Barely breathing, she staggered back, her eyes wild, and Bobby’s heart dropped.

“I'm so…” she didn’t let him finish, pressing her palm to his lips, and only shook her head in silence.

Everything inside of her was begging to just let go, let him kiss her again, just for tonight…

She took his hand and led him up the street, maneuvering through the narrow streets filled with colors that she couldn’t see and scents that she couldn’t smell, until they finally reached the outskirts of the old town. The short walk seemed to Bobby both endless and fulminant, and the silence between them was so thick he could cut it with a knife.

Without a word, she walked him up the hill, her hand squeezing his tightly until they reached their hotel. Bobby’s breath got stuck in his throat when they stepped into the darkness of their suite lit only with the neon backlight of the pool, and her other hand slammed the door behind them.

As always, there was a party in the common pool, but they could barely hear anything through the closed windows and adrenaline rushing through their bodies. Bobby’s hand found Belle’s face, guiding her closer until their lips met again, bringing the relief that a cold fresh spring brings to someone traveling through the desert.

He was falling and falling, and there was no end to it. With every moment they spent together, with every smile that she sent his way, with every touch of her hand, he was falling even deeper, and he didn’t want it to stop, he wanted this feeling to never go away because it didn’t feel like fall at all.

He felt as if his body was floating above the ground, somewhere between the clouds, his fall felt too much like flying to want it to stop.

“I'm so crazy in love with ye,” Bobby breathed out into her neck, his hands raking up and down her body.

His breaking voice almost knocked her off her feet, the raw emotion pouring out of each word. Belle grabbed his face in her palms and looked into his glistering eyes, losing herself in their warm glow for a moment, almost letting herself take a step beyond the line when his touch moved to her leg, pushing the hem of her dress up her thighs.

She pulled herself out of her trance and put her palm above Bobby’s, pressing her forehead against his chin. “I can’t.”

A shrill of pain stroke through him, and the man moved his hands to rest on her sides, blood still boiling in his veins. The soft purple and blue light played on her sun-kissed skin, turning her into a mythical creature that he had to prove himself to win.

“Dae ye trust me?” he asked brokenly, and she nodded immediately, not thinking for even a split of a second. “Close yer eyes.”

Her eyes fell shut, and Bobby slowly pushed her towards the center of the room and stood behind her, his warm hands just an inch away from her shoulders. He started tracing a path in the air close to her skin, slow, savoring every moment of this strange closeness.

“Can ye feel me?” his voice poured through her skin like liquid fire, and Belle nodded abruptly.

His hands hovered just a breath away from her skin, mapping the lines and planes of her body with his almost touch that felt like droplets of fire. He traced up her arms and ran his fingers over the contour of her lips, their taste still lingering on his mouth.

Belle’s eyes snapped open, and his miracle love looked at him through the haze of her scattered thoughts, and that moment, he knew, now that he found her, no force could take her away from him. Even if the world started to fall apart, he wouldn’t let go of her, ever.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you like this story, leave kudos and comments, it means the world ♥️
> 
> Playlist: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/17yEUs6zZmj6jj1ppC351S?si=pCHbU8WsSReZCqtowGCURQ


	12. I Can’t Breathe All Your Love.

Morning found them wide awake. Neither of them could sleep that night, too starstruck to be able to give up the chance to spend more time together, seeing, _feeling_ each other. Just lying next to one another, their fingertips barely touching, was heaven.

The first flashes of morning sun colored the room golden, and Belle turned her head to face Bobby who was looking at her in silence, his hand warm and soft as he gently traced patterns on her forearm. She felt so peaceful, so serene, she wasn’t sure this wasn’t a dream. Real life shouldn’t feel like that, it was too much, too good, too… she lost the rest of the thought when her eyes met Bobby’s, and she drowned in their warm glow.

How was it possible to feel that way about someone you only met barely more than a week ago?

She was never this happy, she never felt anything even close to this tranquility. As if she was in heaven where everything brought joy, and where was no place for doubts or fears… and _he_ was there, with her. This stranger that became a part of her, the stranger that made her complete, as if her life was a puzzle, and he was the missing piece.

All these years she lived without him not realizing that he was the only thing she ever needed – and when she found him, her life before him suddenly seemed so insignificant, as if it was just a prelude, forgotten the same moment the main part began. All those places she visited, all the faces she knew, everything faded away, barely recognizable, too small to notice.

She looked at the man next to her all she saw was herself, he was more her than she, he was her soul, and there was nothing she could’ve done to ever change it. She didn’t know where to go from there, how to live her life knowing that _he_ exists – but it didn’t scare her. The unknown was standing just before her, but she felt nothing but peace.

Bobby watched her quietly, not saying a word, barely breathing, hypnotized by the celestial creature that he held in his hands. How was it even possible to find yourself in someone else? He had no answer to that, but it didn’t matter. The way his entire being just knew this was meant to be was enough for him. It was enough for him to see the reflection of his own feelings in her large forget-me-not eyes that now looked into his, filled with every feeling in the world.

She was everything, every sensation, every word, every little thing existed on the planet, all entwined together to create the harmony that she was.

And next to her, he found harmony himself, equilibria that his life was always missing until his eyes fell on her. From that moment he saw her walk through the crowded garden, he had everything he always needed but never dreamed of having. Their ten days were almost over, but he held no fear, no doubt that she belonged to him, no matter what she tells him today or tomorrow, she will be in his life forever, they will never part.

He traced his hand up her arm and brushed her cheek gently, bringing them both back on earth.

“Hey,” she smiled softly, and his heart fluttered inside of the ribcage.

“Hey,” Bobby whispered back, mesmerized by the way the sun played in her hair creating a glowing halo around the girl’s head.

“What?” she noticed his wandering gaze, not realizing that her own eyes looked at him the same way.

The man shook his head. “A can’t get used to how beautiful ye are.”

Her skin flushed at the compliment, and the girl hid her face in his shoulder, breathing in the scent of his skin: sea salt mixed with his cologne and her own scent. She could stay there forever, looking at him, breathing him, feeling him with the tips of her fingers. Bobby’s hand ran through her hair, and his lips pressed to her forehead gently, his body overflowed with tenderness.

He was wrong. He thought he only needed her to let him love her – but now, that he _felt_ her love, he wanted all of it, he wanted her to love him with all that she was. He wanted his shooting star to love him with all of her heart, he wanted it to be everything that she did, only loving him and shining her light his way, bringing him home.

They both knew that in a few minutes, they will have to get up and start a new day, but right there and then, nothing else existed but them, one soul divided into two bodies.

“We should get up,” Belle said after some time, and Bobby nodded, sadness taking over him for a split of a second.

He ordered them breakfast while she was in the shower and looked around the suite that somehow started to feel like home. There were clothes scattered all over, and he grabbed one of the large paper bags with the hotel’s logo to stuff it in there.

He waited for the girl on the deck, listening to the people at the lower level crowding the common pool, and somehow, the splashes of water and bursts of laughter seemed almost comforting.

Belle stepped onto the deck wearing the dress he saw her at the port two days ago, and Bobby suddenly realized that this little trip was over, and she was ready to get back to her normal life. And part of him was scared that life didn’t include him.

She could read his face like an old book when they had breakfast in silence, and her heart got heavy seeing Bobby so… uncertain. This was the first time he let his unsureness slip into his expression, and she didn’t know what to do. How she was supposed to reassure him if she didn’t have the answers herself?

What was that she felt for him? Was it love? She loved Lucas, but she never felt _that._ So how could she know if this feeling was love or something else, something that was _real_ only here and now but won’t last if they part?

All the thoughts were running through her head as she drove the car back to the port, barely understanding how it was possible to feel so joyful one moment – and then just drown in a sea of doubts and hesitations and infinite what-ifs.

“Hey,” finally, Bobby couldn’t stand the awkward silence between them anymore as they say on the upper deck. “Are ye with me?”

She ran her hand through her blowing hair and looked up at the man, spotting a furrow of concern in his brow. “Yeah,” she moved slightly closer to hold his hand. “I’m with you, Bobby.”

His face lit up at the sound of his name coming from her lips.

“A love yer voice when ye say my name,” he spoke quietly, and his voice made her heart beat faster.

He didn’t say anything else, only reached for his guitar case. His long, slender fingers ran across the strigs, evoking soft, melodic riffs before he settled with his back pressed against the handrail and started playing, his eyes focused on the girl before him.

_"All the time I thought about you_  
_I saw your eyes and they were so blue_  
_I could read there just one name_  
_My name, my name, my name..."_

She couldn’t take her eyes off of him. He was so perfect, she couldn’t believe he was real… _this_ was real. She kept waiting until the moment her alarm clock goes off and pulls her out of the most beautiful dream a human ever saw. She didn’t know what was going to happen next, where her life was taking her, but at that moment, it didn’t matter.

He would always stay in her heart, no matter what… he _was_ her heart.

 _“Because of you, I'm flying higher  
You give me love you set afire  
You keep me warm when you call my name_ _…”_

Her eyes wouldn’t leave his for even a moment. Bobby sang for her, her only, just like all the times before, when he sang all those love songs that he didn’t understand – until now. Only now he finally found the meaning of all those words that slipped off his tongue meaninglessly, all those times he and Rocco performed at the local pub, all the times he sang at the parties in uni just to impress a girl he didn’t even care about.

Only now he understood why he seemed to be never able to push past those futile half-relationships. None of them was _her,_ and he’s been waiting for her, and her only. It would’ve never happened with anyone else, and now he saw it just as clear as Belle’s face lit up with a smile that turned her gorgeous features into divine beauty.

 _“I love your voice when you say my name  
That's my name, my name_ _…”_

His voice gently hung in the air with the last accords, and Bobby put the guitar down. He got to his feet and offered Belle a hand to help her up. Without a flicker of hesitation, she followed, and they both stood under the bright sunshine, the wind blowing their hair as the ferry glided through the azure water.

“A couldn’t stop thinking about what ye said the other day,” Bobby started, holding the girl’s hands in his. “All those tragic love stories… ye know an awful lot of them.”

He released her hands from his grip and reached into his pocket. “A know A can’t promise ye much, but A can promise to love ye until my heart stops.”

Bobby fished a small necklace out of the velvet pouch and put it into Belle’s palm. She looked down at the dainty gold chain and an infinity-shaped stone framed in gold. Bobby ran his finger over the stone, and she realized that its frame was molded into the Greek key pattern.

“It’s called nebula stone,” the man continued. “Some call it the birthstone of cosmos, as it holds four elements in itself.”

He took the necklace out of the girl’s hand and stepped behind her. She pulled her hair up, and he gently wrapped the chain around her neck and closed the clasp, his hands lingering on the back of her neck.

“They say, there were the original humans who were so strong that the gods separated each of them in two. Each of the souls was ripped in halves and thrown around the universe, and since then, they’re searching for their halves,” Bobby continued, pressing his chest into Belle’s back to let her feel the beat of his heart. “They are one soul inhabiting two bodies. A know, you're my soul, A knew it the moment A saw ye…”

He stopped himself, realizing how out there and inferior he must’ve sounded to her. He couldn’t even explain to himself why he remembered that story Rocco told him once now.

Belle turned to face the man, and there was something in his face that she’s never seen before. She didn’t say anything, only stood on the tips of her toes, and placed the gentlest kiss to the corner of his mouth. They stood there motionless, caressed by the wind and the sun until the ferry finally reached the port.

Everything seemed different now. The highway, the crowds of people they were passing by as the taxi drove through the city, the colorful houses – everything that she grew so familiar with, now seemed different… dull. As if someone turned off the colors and muted the world turning it into a motionless old photo.

The car stopped across the street from Belle’s house, and she turned to Bobby.

“A’ll see ye tonight,” he said, caressing her cheek with the tips of his fingers.

“Tonight,” she echoed with a smile and climbed out of the backseat of a small car.

She waited until it drove away and crossed the street slowly, her fingers playing with the pendant on her neck mindlessly as she ascended the stairs and turned the key in the lock. How strange it was, this feeling of unfamiliarity of the place she called home this whole time.

She threw her bag onto the cabinet in the hallway and kicked off her shoes, walking to the kitchen barefoot, breathing in the strong scent of white lilies.

She stumbled in the kitchen doorway, and her heart stopped as her eyes fell on the man sitting at the counter, a bouquet of white lilies and a red jewelry box sitting next to his coffee.

"Lucas," her voice broke as she stepped forward.

“Hello, darling.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you like this story, leave kudos and comments, it means the world ♥️
> 
> Playlist: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/17yEUs6zZmj6jj1ppC351S?si=pCHbU8WsSReZCqtowGCURQ


	13. Love Maze.

Bobby walked into his hotel room and dropped the bags on the floor the moment he saw a large delivery box sitting on the perfectly made-up bed. He kicked off his shoes and walked the wooden floor barefoot, stretching with his whole body. He tore the packaging tape off the box and peeked inside. The first thing he saw was a birthday card.

He somehow managed to forget it was his birthday tomorrow, and now he stared at the box full of presents in surprise. The card was written by his parents and Rocco, and all of them were sending him love and promises of a big party when he gets back home.

Bobby slowly went through the wraps until he reached the largest that looked like a book… or a photo album. He tore the wrapping paper apart impatiently: it was a scrapbook that his mother made for him. He read a short note on the inside of the front cover, smiling, and started flipping through the thick pages that bore the memories of Bobby’s life.

His mom put there his childhood drawings and stickers that he used to collect and then forgotten about, pictures of his grandparents when they were young, around his age, crushed seashells from Harris island, and the recipe of the first dish that he cooked as a boy. Going through those pages almost brought him back in time, and Bobby could barely hold back the tears forming in the corners of his eyes.

There was a picture of him when he was about three years old, sitting in his grandpa’s arms with a huge chef’s hat on his head, and his heart seemed to not know what to feel - joy or sadness. Growing up, he didn’t like being photographed, especially since his mother seemed to have a goal of capturing every little moment of his life and followed him with a camera like a paparazzi. 

There were pictures of him eating grapes or swinging on the swinging set that his dad set up on the large tree in the small yard outside their house, or just running down the streets of Glasgow. Bobby brought the scrapbook closer to his face as his eyes fell on the picture of himself standing next to a little girl who sat in a puddle, his hand outstretched towards her.

He kept staring at the girl’s back and her soft pearl blonde curls running down her shoulders and the back of her little red coat. Something about this picture captivated him, wouldn’t let him turn the page, and Bobby kept looking at it until his eyes watered.

He slowly picked the corners and pulled the polaroid photo out of the book. He couldn’t let himself believe it, but it was _her_ , something inside of him just knew it. The story she told him, this photograph, the distant memory of a cold October day and the beautiful girl staring back at him with unshed tears in her eyes that turned into a smile when he offered her a hand…

It was her, his destiny, someone given to him by the universe, someone he was always supposed to keep finding until they finally _see_ each other.

He didn’t know how long he’s been staring at the photograph, consumed with his thoughts until the loud beeping in the back pocket of his jeans pulled Bobby out of the trance.

He looked down at the screen, and his heart dropped.

 _Belle:_ _I can’t see you tonight. Lucas is back._

Lucas… that must’ve been her boyfriend. Bobby kept staring at the blackout screen, not finding a single coherent thought in his mind. What he was supposed to do now, that the man she already loved was back, trying to take her away from Bobby? What he was supposed to say to make her choose him, a strange Scottish guy who spoke with an accent and spent his time between the restaurant kitchen and a cheap pub, who wasn’t the Head of the clinic and didn’t know much about art?

_What could he offer her but himself?_

He dragged himself off the bed and went to the bathroom, trying not to let the crippling fear crawl under his skin. She was meant for him, he was sure of it, now more than ever. They were brought together, once more, and this time, he wasn’t letting her go. Whatever this was, he wasn’t going to let it slip through his fingers, because it was bigger than them, bigger than love, bigger than everything in the world.

Even in his head, he hated how ridiculous it sounded, all his thoughts of destiny and universe, and all those things that always came out of Rocco’s mouth and made Bobby cringe. And yet, there he was, thinking about the girl he’s known for less than ten days but that somehow was everything that he ever needed in his life.

***

Belle sat at the kitchen counter watching Lucas as he was chopping vegetables. She came back home to find him there, just as breathtakingly gorgeous as she remembered.

When the moment of shock passed, she felt happiness spreading through her body as his arms wrapped around her tightly. She loved him, she still felt that love in her heart, it never went away. She felt his lips on her neck, burning her skin with his hot breath, and it was the same feeling she always got when he touched her that way. And for a split of a moment, it felt as if nothing had changed.

As if there was no Bobby and their ten days together, as if she just woke up from a long dream… for that moment, everything was simple as she felt the warmth of Lucas’ body against her own.

And then, it was all over.

Nothing was simple, nothing could’ve been, not after those past several days, not after everything that she’s learned about herself, everything that Bobby _taught_ her about herself.

The girl wrapped a long-sleeved cashmere cardigan around herself tighter, as if she was suddenly cold, and her eyes wandered towards her laptop that was still sitting on the end of the counter, untouched the entire time she was away. She knew Lucas would never go through her phone or computer, and part of her wished he did so he would know about Bobby… so he would learn about him himself and she wouldn’t have to tell him. What was she even supposed to say? That she bumped into someone on the street, and he changed her life?

She suppressed a bitter chuckle and reached for the speaker to make the music louder when her phone beeped from the windowsill. Belle ignored it and got up to open another bottle of wine, and the beeping repeated.

“You should answer that,” Lucas nodded towards the sound.

“It’s probably the girls,” she said doubtfully, knowing in her heart that it wasn’t her friends. “I’ll just put it on mute.”

She put the bottle down and walked towards the window, almost stumbling as she saw Bobby outside, on the other side of the street.

He saw her in the window, warm rays of setting sun colored her skin gold, and his heart fluttered in Bobby’s chest. It seemed like years since they parted, not a few hours, and he couldn’t stand being away from her any longer. His phone came to life in his hand, and Bobby looked down at the screen.

_Belle: I can’t talk to you now. Please, leave._

He looked up and shook his head: _no._

He didn’t care if he was going to spend the entire night standing there, he wasn’t leaving, not until he tells her everything that he knew she needed to hear. He saw the pained look written all over her face, and his heart broke. Was he causing her pain? He didn’t think of that when he came there, but seing her fallen face tore him apart.

He needed to speak to her but not at that price…

Bobby was ready to turn around and leave when the front door of her house flew open, and she stepped out onto the porch, wrapping herself up into a cardigan thrown above a silk slip-on dress in a soft beige color that punctuated the delicate tan of her sun-warmed skin. She was barefoot and her hair was pulled up with a few strands framing her face, and Bobby couldn’t stop looking at her as he ascended the stairs to stand next to the girl, imagining that this is how she’d looked in _their_ kitchen.

“Bobby,” she whispered brokenly.

“Shh,” he pressed his hand softly to her lips. “Please, just listen to me, don’t say anything before ye hear me out.”

She nodded, and he removed his hand from her mouth only to run his fingers over her cheekbone as he stepped closer.

“Ye asked me once how A knew this was love,” he began, looking deeply into the blue eyes before him. “And A still have no answer to that. There are no sure-tell signs, are there?”

His free hand reached into his back pocket, and he fetched an old polaroid photo. Belle’s eyes followed his movement, but he never showed her the picture, only continued speaking, his voice soft and calm.

“But A can tell ye what I do know,” he smiled softly at the girl. “A know that ye and I are meant to be, A know that no matter how far from each other we’ve been for so long, we ended up here, together. And we will always end up together, no matter what ye say to me now. A know it, just the way A know ye… A’ve known ye since before this life because once, we were one.”

Bobby put the photograph face down on Belle’s palm, and his fingers lingered on her hand for a moment.

“A know ye love somebody else… and maybe, ye don’t think what ye feel for me is real. But it’s okay,” he added before she could’ve said anything. “A know that one day, ye’ll come back to me, as ye always do.”

The world around them disappeared. Everything just stopped existing. They couldn’t hear the voices, couldn’t see the passing cars, couldn’t smell someone’s burnt dinner. There were just the two of them in the entire universe, as it has always been.

Bobby leaned forward, brushing his lips gently against Belle’s cheek.

“A love ye, my shooting star,” he whispered. “When ye’re ready, please come back to me.”

He bounced off lightly and took the last look at the girl before he descended the stairs and walked down the street slowly, easily, as if he’s done everything that was in his power and found his peace in that. She kept watching him go and even after he disappeared around the corner of one of the buildings, her mind and heart in overdrive.

She couldn’t tell how long she stood there until a gust of evening breeze picked up the photo from her hand and threw it up, twirling it in the air before dropping onto the ground and dragging it away from Belle before she could even realize what that colorful piece of paper was.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you like this story, leave kudos and comments, it means the world ♥️
> 
> Playlist: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/17yEUs6zZmj6jj1ppC351S?si=pCHbU8WsSReZCqtowGCURQ


	14. Miracle Love.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For you - Angus & Julia Stone

“Bobby, c’mon,” Rocco’s voice pulled the Scot out of his thoughts, bringing him back into the crowded living room of his parents’ house. “Mate, where are you today?”

Bobby just shrugged and gave his friend an apologetic smile. He didn’t know where his head was these past few days, his thoughts were scattered all over the place, and he could barely concentrate on what Rocco has been going on about for the last five minutes. The dark-haired man shook his head, and his loose curls fell across his face picturesquely, making him look even more like one of those statues of Greek gods than usual. Rocco ran his fingers through his dark strands and patted Bobby’s shoulder.

“Focus, man, your cousin is getting married tomorrow, you should be celebrating with your family now.”

“I should be at the restaurant, making sure everything is ready for the celebration,” Bobby noted, getting onto his feet. “I have to figure out how to bring the cake up to the rooftop,” his thoughts returned to the present moment, and the man frowned a little. “We probably won’t be able to see any stars in the city…”

“Let me stop you right there,” Rocco threw an arm over his best friend’s shoulders as they walked towards the kitchen to fetch a bottle of champagne from the stash that the bridesmaids kept on the lower shelf of the fridge. “This kind of attitude is unacceptable. This meteor shower is the perfect metaphor for Leggy and Miles’ love…”

“Because it’s just as fleeting?”

Rocco rolled his eyes. “Because it’s just as beautiful and rare, you blockhead.”

They grabbed two glasses and went outside, away from the noises on the second floor where Allegra’s bridesmaids were helping her to get ready for the last day of bachelorette life, and sat on the swing on the porch. They were chugging on the champagne in silence, enjoying a late spring morning full of sunshine and warm breeze. Rocco glanced at his friend who seemed to be lost in thoughts yet again. This time, he didn’t say anything, only shook his head slightly, reaching for his phone. Bobby drank the champagne automatically, barely noticing its taste as his mind wandered far away from his childhood home.

Its been almost seven months since he returned back to Edinburg after his trip and settled down with his life. The business picked up since he found a way to include all the receipts and dishes that he learned during his travel into the regular menu, turning his grandpa’s restaurant into one of the most popular venues in town. He and Rocco rented a massive flat together where they could finally have a billiard table that Rocco’s been dreaming of for so long and where they could hang out with their friends. Everything was going amazing, and Bobby’s parents couldn’t stop talking to their friends about him, even more so now than before. And when Allegra mentioned she and Miles needed a place to celebrate their wedding, he was glad to offer his restaurant and his own service as a chef.

Now, everything was ready for the big day, and Bobby couldn’t understand why he was being so distracted and in his head with this strange feeling that he couldn’t find a name for.

“Bobby? Rocco!” Leggy’s voice reached the men outside, and they looked at each other, rolling their eyes: probably, she needed a “man’s opinion” on the color of her nail polish.

“Your turn,” Rocco said hastily.

“I have to go to the restaurant,” the other guy smirked. “Don’t look at me like that, I’m spending the night here, so I’ll get ten more hours of suffering than you.”

He gave Rocco’s shoulder a tap and skipped off, relieved that he had things to do outside the house that he could use as an excuse to escape for at least a couple of hours. He loved his cousin, but now, it just seemed too much for him. He drove the car to the city center, listening to the radio, tapping his fingers on the steering wheel in rhythm with the music, barely registering that Marisol, Rocco’s ex who he got back together with, changed the default station to Spanish tunes yet again.

Familiar sounds filled the air, almost making Bobby stop the car in the middle of the road. It’s been almost seven months since he last heard this tune, and his heart filled with little colorful butterflies, bringing him back to the crowded street surrounded by whitewashed houses with colorful doors and shutters. He added volume and drove faster, his body moving slightly to the beat as if unable to be still while his heart couldn't decide what to feel.

_Mom: Got your kilt._

Bobby looked at the text and rolled his eyes: a man wearing a skirt, all the bridesmaids were his for sure. He drove to the restaurant and walked into the kitchen through the back door. A huge wedding cake was sitting on the tray, ready for the final step: decoration. Needing a break from everything, Bobby found a strange comfort in working in the kitchen along with the other cook, creating a whole tropical island out of the cake.

By the time everything was done, the sun had rolled over the horizon, and Bobby drove back to his parents, thinking about this silly meteor shower that his cousin was so excited about. She kept calling those little specks of meteorites ‘shooting stars’, and he couldn’t help but think about the last time he said those two words together.

It’s been almost seven months since the last time he saw her – or let himself think of her.

Surrounded by his family, Bobby slowly shook off the strange feeling that’s been following him the last few days, consumed by the last preparations for the ceremony tomorrow. It was around midnight when Talia and Cherry helped Allegra to settle down for the night, and Bobby went downstairs to sit in a small room that his dad used as his study.

The older man poured two glasses of whiskey and brought one to his son, sitting on a worn leather couch.

“A wish Leggy's parents were here to see her. She'll be such a beautiful bride.”

Bobby nodded, taking a sip of his drink and rolling it on his tongue before letting the liquor slip down his throat, warming him up from the inside.

“Miles is lucky to have her,” he nodded, staring at the flickers of light playing on the glass.

“Ye’ve been so quiet these past couple o days,” his dad noted, and Bobby just shrugged, putting the glass down onto the side table.

“A’m fine, da” he smiled and hugged his dad before heading back upstairs, to his old room.

“Hi, Bobby,” Talia slid out of the guest room she and Cherry shared and smiled coyly at the man before her. “Big day tomorrow.”

She took a step closer, and he remembered the night they’ve spent together about a year ago when she and Allegra stayed here last Christmas. Unconsciously, he stumbled back a little and offered the girl a friendly smile.

“Yeah, time to hit the hay,” his words sounded off tune, and he rolled his eyes at himself the moment the door closed behind him. Wasn’t he the one regretting not getting the girls’ attention?

*** 

He dreamt of peaceful azure water and white sand, and a little old church with bright blue window shutters and an old rusty bell. He dreamt of narrow cobble streets and blooming bougainvillea trees, and marble statues, and white flowy fabric blowing in the wind, and the sky full of shining stars. He woke up to the sound of birds chirping outside the open window and sat up on the bed, smiling, as he always did after a night spent far away, somewhere only he knew. He stretched with his whole body, casting a glance at the outfit that his mother prepared for him to wear.

The house was buzzing with excitement when he finally made his way downstairs, adjusting the sporran.

“Where’s yer tie, Bobby?” his mom asked instead of a greeting, her shoulder-long hair half-curled.

“Upstairs,” he rolled eyes and grabbed one of the croissants from the pastry basket. “Plaid and a brooch are well enough.”

“Don' argue wi yer mother,” Bobby’s dad appeared in the doorway bleary-eyed. “Ah tried and it didnae work.”

“A’ll wait for you lot at the restaurant,” Bobby slid off the chair. “A still need to figure out how to bring the cake upstairs when it’s time.”

He left, not noticing the looks his parents exchanged. He knew they pitied him, just like everyone else in the family. When he came back home alone, they tiptoed around him for weeks, everyone including Rocco who seemed to be blaming himself for everything that happened. It was tiresome, to be a constant target of sorrowful looks and whispering.

Bobby drove through the quiet streets of the sleepy town, his mind wandering somewhere far away, somewhere the sun always shone bright and the air was filled with music and laughter, and the scent of spiced honey and pastries. What was she doing now? Probably, she was walking down one of the streets, her sun-kissed skin glowing under the bright warm rays of light, her hair bouncing and a long dress flowing down her body, hugging her curves. Maybe, she was standing behind a drawing easel, her hand moving slowly across the canvas… or maybe, she wasn’t doing anything, sitting on her balcony looking down at the busy street. For a moment, a tiny wish for her to think of him appeared in the man's heart, but he cast it away. 

The restaurant was decorated and ready for the ceremony, all the windows wide ajar to let the room fill with sunlight. Bobby walked through the tables and nodded at the wedding organizer who was giving the last orders to the waiters. He busied himself with the last-minute preparations, escaping the necessity of talking with the arriving guests, and Rocco found him in the kitchen, checking on the cake decoration yet again.

“Bobby,” the dark-haired man opened the back door and let his friend step outside. “What’s wrong with you, mate? You seem to be as far away from here as Jupiter.”

Bobby only shrugged tugging his thumbs under the belt and shuffling from heels to toes.

“Nay, A’m fine,” he responded finally. “A bit overwhelmed, that is.”

“With the wedding?”

Bobby shrugged. He was happy for his cousin who he loved dearly, but how he was supposed not to think about his own broken heart? How he was supposed to just pretend that he was fine not sharing this day with someone he loved? If _she_ was there, it would’ve been such a happy day… he would’ve spent it with his family and the love of his life if _she_ was brave enough to follow her heart.

“Is it because of _her_?”

Again, his best friend said nothing, and Rocco patted his back comfortingly, his face full of doubt when his phone started ringing.

“I gotta answer this,” the man looked down at the screen. “I’ll see you inside.”

Bobby nodded and leaned his back against the wall the moment Rocco was gone. He acted ridiculously, he knew it. Just because she wasn’t there, didn’t mean he wasn’t sharing this moment with her. She was always in his heart, always in his morning thoughts and the dreams he saw at night – and she was going to be there with him, at the ceremony.

He got back inside where immediately he was pulled into a whirlwind of kisses and hugs and compliments on how handsome he was until it was finally the time for Leggy and Miles to say their vows in front of their families and friends. They all went upstairs, and there, on the rooftop turned into a dancefloor, under the arch of flowers, his cousin promised to love someone with all that she was, until her last breath, and even after that, and Bobby’s heart rushed out of his chest, crossing the borders, swimming across the rivers and seas, trying to reach the heart of his love, dying painfully of inability to do so.

He hugged Miles and kissed Allegra, wishing them both as much love and happiness as existed in this world, following everyone back inside for the celebration dinner. He sat at the table with his and Miles’ parents, waiting for his turn to speak and hoping they’ll let him off the hook after that.

“Kitchen emergency,” the wedding organizer appeared out of nowhere, dragging Bobby after herself, and he couldn't hide a sigh of relief.

Staying in the kitchen through the dinner was a strange blessing. Bobby’s hands were busy with food as he tried to save the fish, and his mind was free to wander wherever it wanted.

He _felt_ her everywhere he went, ever-present. But now, he felt the lack of her, for the first time in all these months, he finally realized that she wasn’t there with him, that it was only the memory of her. How could he keep pretending that everything was fine if _she_ wasn’t there, the only person in the world that he needed, wasn’t in his life, and there was nothing he could do about that.

Finally, the streetlights went on, and so did hundreds of fairy lights wrapped all over the rooftop, and everyone went upstairs. Bobby caught up to Rocco and Marisol, and his friend gave his arm a comforting squeeze, his deep green eyes sparkling mischievously.

“A know that look,” Bobby said suspiciously. “What are you up to? If you’re trying to set me up with someone…”

Rocco’s hands flew up: “I promise, no setting you up with _someone._ ”

“Good,” Bobby nodded. “Because you really suck at it.”

“Talia is still into you,” Marisol observed as they joined the circle of dancing people. She nodded towards the bridesmaid. “Maybe you should at least spend some time with her tonight and get to know her outside the bedroom.”

The night was dragging so slowly, Bobby could barely be there anymore, but the band invited to sing seemed to be loved by everyone, so there was no way the night was going to end anytime soon. He glanced at the stage where the dark-haired girl stood at the mic, her green eyes sparkling as she started singing.

 _“_ _If I talk real slowly_ _  
If I try real hard  
To make my point dear  
That you have my heart…”_

His breath got caught in his throat, almost making Bobby choke. The emotions he’s been trying to suppress for so long couldn’t stay inside of him anymore, looking for a way out, making his heart hammer in his chest threatening to break the ribcage, and his hands went suddenly cold, so cold her couldn’t feel his shaking fingers when he brushed the tears off his cheek.

Someone laughed pointing up.

“Look!” Cherry’s voice made everyone look up. “It’s begun!”

The first meteorite fell down, burning in the air, sparkling like a diamond in the sky, followed by another almost immediately and then by dozens more.

 _“_ _If you love me, with all that you are_ _  
If you love me, I'll make you a star in my universe…”_

She wasn’t just a star, she was his entire universe, and now, he was falling into the abyss. He wasn’t able to hold back the tears burning his eyes, pouring out of his broken heart, blurring his vision. There was nothing in the world that he wouldn’t give up just to hold her in his arms once again, to look into her eyes and see the little sparkles of joy playing in them.

He couldn’t pretend that he was fine, couldn’t keep lying to himself. His heart lay shattered into tiny pieces on the ground, and there was nothing he could do to change it. The part of him was missing, the part that made him feel alive, the part that he couldn’t live without anymore. Maybe he didn’t try hard enough? He couldn’t keep her, and it was all his damn fault that he couldn’t make her stay with him. His shooting star, she never came back to him, and it broke him. Right there, under the shower of falling stars, surrounded by people that loved him endlessly, he broke in two.

Nothing else existed, he saw nothing but the blackness before his eyes when his legs gave out under the realization that she will never belong to him, that he will never be whole again, and Bobby fell onto the wooden decking, bruising his knees and breaking his soul as the people around him laughed happily, holding hands and watching the skies.

He felt someone’s hands trying to pull him up but just squeezed his eyes tighter. There was no point in getting up, no point in trying because he had failed already.

“Bobby… please, look at me,” the whisper made his heart stop. It couldn’t be, no, he won’t believe it, it’s just his mind playing its cruel games with him.

He covered his face with the palms of his hands, tears of embarrassment and desperation running down his cheeks.

“Bobby, please,” her voice, it seemed so real, he almost lost it. “Open your eyes.”

“No,” he whispered brokenly. “No, you’re not real… you won’t be there…”

His hands were grabbed forcefully, and two soft palms lay onto his cheeks, wet with tears. “I’ll be here forever, I promise, just look at me… you’re breaking my heart.”

He snapped his eyes open, drowning in the two blue oceans of hers at the same moment. The star shower was forgotten, everyone was standing there, looking at him and the girl who stood on her knees just before him, holding his face in her hands as if it was the most precious thing in the universe.

“It’s you,” he muttered, clenching his hands on Belle’s shoulders. “It’s really you,” he repeated as if unsure of his own words.

“I’m sorry it took me so long,” she pulled him closer, removing the space between them, almost bumping their heads. “But I finally found my way home.”

She touched his lips, and his world exploded, his body turning into stardust, shining brighter than the shooting stars falling down around them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A very quick and non-sappy thank you to everyone who’s read this story ♥️  
> Every time I publish a new chapter and get to read all the amazing comments, I feel so grateful to have you guys! Thank you so much for the love and support for this story (and me) 💋 
> 
> And again, a huge pile of thank yous is flying Suchi’s way!
> 
> ♥️  
> Kat  
> ___________________________
> 
> If you like this story, leave kudos and comments, it means the world ♥️
> 
> Playlist: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/17yEUs6zZmj6jj1ppC351S?si=pCHbU8WsSReZCqtowGCURQ


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